The White Sox have already run into one of the downsides of building a staff people want to steal from.
Joel McKeithan, Chicago’s assistant hitting coach for the last two seasons under Will Venable, has been hired as the St. Louis Cardinals’ hitting coach. It’s a promotion for McKeithan, and it leaves the White Sox with an offseason opening to sort out under hitting coach Derek Shomon.
Chris Getz had previously said every coach on the White Sox staff was expected back in 2027, but promotions don’t wait around. McKeithan is headed to a Cardinals team that should be on the rise, and Chicago now has to replace a coach who became part of the group’s growth.
McKeithan’s path to this point has been anything but conventional. The 35-year-old played college baseball at Vanderbilt and NC State, but never got to affiliated pro ball.
After a stretch in independent leagues, he moved into coaching and worked as a hitting instructor at Driveline from 2016-2018. From there, he climbed quickly: minor league hitting coach in the Phillies organization in 2019, minor league hitting coordinator for the Tigers in 2021, then assistant hitting coach and offensive coordinator with the Reds in 2022.
He was promoted to Cincinnati’s big league hitting coach after one season, held that job for 2023 and 2024, and was let go after that season before joining the White Sox.
He originally worked under Marcus Thames, then stayed on after Thames departed at the end of 2025.
White Sox director of hitting Ryan Fuller made his feelings clear on Twitter after the news broke:
Well deserved opportunity for @JoelMcKeithan
He helped us grow, and he’s going to do the same for the Cardinals https://t.co/T1keFAduaO
- Ryan Fuller (@FullerHitting) November 4, 2026
For now, Chicago is in the early stages of replacing him. James Fegan of the Chicago Sun-Times reported the team is likely to look outside the organization for the next hire, and Getz has a track record of bringing in coaches from smart organizations.
McKeithan is the only coach to leave so far, but he may not be the last name connected to a move. Bench coach Walker McKinven was a candidate for the Mariners manager job before not getting it, and assistant GM Josh Barfield was in the mix for the Astros GM opening before coming up short there as well. Houston and the Angels still need managers, and the Angels are also searching for a GM, so both men could still surface in those talks.
That’s the reality for a team with momentum: if the work is going well, other clubs start circling. The White Sox would prefer to keep as much of their staff intact as possible, but promotions are part of the deal now.
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For a franchise that has rarely been in position to chase that level of pitcher, the conversation matters as much as the fit itself. The White Sox also have a broader backdrop to watch, with MLB's proposed salary cap plan for 2028 already rejected by the players' union, a reminder that the economics of the sport could shift again before any long-term decision is made. [Read more 🡒]