White Sox Assistant Joel McKeithan Takes Cardinals Hitting Job

McKeithan, 35, is leaving Chicago after two seasons as an assistant to take charge of the Cardinals’ hitting staff. He previously served as the Cincinnati Reds’ lead hitting coach for two years before joining the White Sox in 2025.

The White Sox scored more runs than any other American League team in 2026 and ranked fifth in home runs across the majors. McKeithan worked under Marcus Thames in his first season with Chicago and Derek Shomon this year.

Shomon praised McKeithan’s coordination with the White Sox’s Triple-A hitting coach, saying that communication helped the major-league staff prepare for players expected to join the club. McKeithan also received positive feedback from both hitting coaches during his time with the team.

Chicago baseball chief Chris Getz remarked several weeks ago that he expected to bring back the coaching staff for 2027. Losing coaches to higher-level jobs with other teams is, however, a familiar consequence of success. Walker McKinven, Chicago’s bench coach, spoke with the Seattle Mariners about their managerial opening, while Josh Barfield, the assistant general manager, met with the Houston Astros about their general manager position; neither got the job.

Shomon and major-league assistant Tony Medina are expected to continue overseeing the White Sox’s hitting operation. The team is most likely to seek an outside hire to replace McKeithan.