The Kansas City Royals have another coaching role to fill. On Tuesday, Royals assistant pitching coach Zach Bove accepted a new position with the Chicago White Sox.
Bove, 37, was named White Sox pitching coach. He will lead the staff under Chicago manager Will Venable ahead of the 2026 season.
Advertisement
The Royals valued Bove’s analytical philosophy. He was instrumental in developing multiple starters including Cole Ragans, Noah Cameron and Kris Bubic. Bove worked with Royals pitching coach Brian Sweeney for three seasons.
KC posted a 3.73 team ERA this season. As a unit, the Royals ranked sixth among Major League Baseball clubs in that category.
Bove also strategized with pitchers to find advantageous matchups. Many times, his role included different facets — such as finding optimal pitch sequences or implementing different pitch grips — to help pitchers generate better control through the strike zone.
Advertisement
The Royals will now search for his replacement this offseason. KC will also need to fill two positions in the hitting department. Last month, the Royals parted ways with assistant hitting coaches Keoni DeRenne and Joe Dillon.
Bove joined the Royals after four seasons in the Minnesota Twins organization. The Royals will face the White Sox 13 times in 2026. The first meeting will be April 9-12, 2026, at Kauffman Stadium.
Sweeney will continue as the Royals’ lead pitching coach. He is entering his fourth season on Royals manager Matt Quatraro’s staff.