Jesus Azuaje will return for his second season as manager of the Quad Cities River Bandits, the High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, the team announced Friday.
Coach Azuaje is joined by a staff that includes pitching coach Derrick Lewis, hitting coach Manny Burriss, assistant pitching coach Clayton Mortensen, assistant coach Luke Lowery, strength and conditioning coach Chad Gravenorst and athletic trainer Nevan Dominguez. Conner Jones returns as clubhouse coordinator.
Mr. Azuaje, the 41st manager in franchise history, led the River Bandits to a division-best 74-58 record in 2025. This will be his 12th season in the Royals organization.
Mr. Lewis returns for his fourth season as pitching coach in Quad Cities and his seventh with the Royals. Under his guidance, the 2025 pitching staff posted the league’s second-best earned run average (3.29). It completed a league-most 15 shutouts.
Mr. Burriss enters his first season as a coach with the Royals organization after six seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was most recently the Triple-A hitting coach for the Oklahoma City Comets.
Mr. Mortensen, a former first-round draft pick who pitched in the Majors for five seasons, begins his second year with the River Bandits. Lowery joins the Royals organization after two years as an assistant baseball coach at the University of Lynchburg.
Mr. Gravenorst is back for his third season as strength and conditioning coach. Mr. Dominguez enters his third year as the athletic trainer.