The Padres have filled two key positions on new manager Craig Stammen’s coaching staff.

Randy Knorr will be the new bench coach, and Steven Souza Jr. will be the hitting coach.

Stammen, who is managing for the first time at any level, is familiar with both men.

Knorr served as bench coach for the Nationals from 2012 through 2015, Stammen’s final four years pitching for Washington. After working under managers Davey Johnson and Matt Williams as bench coach, Knorr served in the Nationals organization in various roles from 2016 through this past season. Knorr has been a bullpen coach, first base coach and catching coordinator and alkso worked as an advisor in player development.

Knorr played in the major leagues for parts of 11 seasons (1991 to 2001) for six different teams. Knorr replaces Brian Esposito, who will remain in the Padres’ organization in a role that has not been announced.

Souza takes over for Victor Rodriguez, who left to be the hitting coach for the Astros. This will be the first big-league coaching job for Souza, who spent parts of eight seasons in the major leagues before retiring in the middle of the 2022 season.

Souza spent the past year as a special advisor for hitting development for the Rays and has run a baseball instructional program in the Northwest since shortly after he retired as a player.

Stammen and Souza were teammates on the Nationals briefly in 2014, which was Souza’s first year in the major leagues.

The following offseason, Souza was one of the 11 players changing teams in the three-team trade that sent Will Myers from the Rays to the Padres and Trea Turner from the Padres to the Nationals.

Another three-team trade, in February 2018, landed Souza in Arizona. After tearing multiple ligaments in his left knee and undergoing surgery in spring training before the 2019 season, Souza finished out his career with the Cubs (2020), Dodgers (2021) and Mariners (2022).

The Padres are believed to be close to hiring a third base coach to replace Tim Leiper, who is now with the Mets. They are expected to bring back most of the rest of the staff from 2025.