Chiefs Announce 2026 On-Field Staff

PEORIA, IL – Roberto Espinoza will return for his second season as manager of the Peoria Chiefs in 2026, headlining a staff overhaul announced by the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday.

Espinoza, 36, is the lone returnee from last year’s staff. The 2026 campaign will mark his 13th season as a coach in the Cardinals organization. As a player, Espinoza was signed by the Cardinals out of Venezuela as a catcher in 2006. He played in 202 games over five minor-league seasons. In his first season at the helm of the Chiefs, the skipper logged his 200th managerial win with a 7-1 triumph over Cedar Rapids on May 18.

Of the remaining seven staff members, all of them will be in their first season with the Chiefs. Five of the seven personnel hires are new to the Cardinals organization.

Michael Oh will serve as the club’s pitching coach. Oh has been a quick mover through the coaching ranks. After pitching collegiately at the University of North Carolina and UNC-Charlotte, Oh joined the 49ers coaching staff in 2023 as a pitching coordinator and was promoted to pitching coach in 2024. Last year, Oh was the pitching coach for the Single-A Palm Beach Cardinals. While there, he oversaw a staff that ranked third in the Florida State League in strikeouts (1,218).

Michael Habas was hired by the Cardinals this offseason and takes over as the Chiefs hitting coach. Habas spent the previous two seasons as a minor-league hitting coach in the Washington Nationals system. Prior to that, he coached four seasons in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. Habas, who is from Chicago, graduated from Homewood-Flossmoor High School in 2009.

The bench coach role will be served by Jason Eary, who joins the Cardinals organization after spending three seasons at nearby St. Louis University. Before a stint with the Billikens, Eary served in a player development role at UNLV.

As part of this year’s overhaul, the Cardinals have added a fifth coaching position to each affiliate’s staff. Former Chiefs catcher Wade Stauss will be Peoria assistant coach. Stauss signed with St. Louis as a minor-league free agent in 2021 out of Southeast Missouri State. Over portions of two seasons, the Wildwood, Missouri native appeared in 26 games with Peoria. On June 28, 2022, in what was just his second High-A game, Stauss mashed a pair of home runs in a game at Quad Cities. All told, the catcher appeared in 138 games as a Cardinals farmhand before transitioning to a coaching role late in 2025.

Kily Gilbert is the club’s certified athletic trainer. She joined the Cardinals system in November after a previous stint with the Houston Astros. Ryuta Takahashi, who was with the FCL Cardinals a season ago, will oversee strength and conditioning.

Alexarmando Diaz will lead the team’s day-to-day video efforts as the Baseball Technology Fellow.

The Chiefs open the 2026 season on the road at Cedar Rapids on Friday, April 3. The home opener is scheduled for Tuesday, April 7 against the South Bend Cubs.

TICKET UPDATE: Season tickets and luxury group spaces are currently available for the 2026 season. For more information, fans can visit peoriachiefs.com or call the Dozer Park box office at (309) 680-4000.