Rainiers Announce 2026 Coaching Staff

TACOMA, WA (January 20, 2026) – The Tacoma Rainiers, in conjunction with the Seattle Mariners, announced their coaching staff for the 2026 season on Tuesday. The Rainiers will be led by Manager John Russell, who enters his fourth season as Tacoma’s skipper. He will be joined by returning Bench Coach Eric Farris, who returns to Tacoma for his fourth season and third as bench coach. Seth Mejias-Brean, who played for the Rainiers from 2017-18 and served as Tacoma’s bench coach in 2022, returns to Tacoma as the hitting coach in 2026. Mike McCarthy will take over as the Rainiers’ pitching coach in 2026, having last served as the pitching coach for Triple-A Gwinnett in the Atlanta Braves organization in 2024.

Russell, who led Tacoma to a Second Half Championship and a trip to the playoffs in 2025, returns for his fourth season as the Rainiers manager. The 10-year Major Leaguer has led Tacoma to a 245-205 record over the last three seasons, with his 245 victories ranking as the fourth-most in Triple-A in that time. After winning 82 games in 2024, Russell led the Rainiers to 86 wins in 2025, the most in the “Rainiers Era” and just the second time in franchise history the club has won 80 games in consecutive seasons.

Farris, who enters his ninth season in the Mariners organization, will embark on his fourth campaign with the Rainiers and third as the bench coach. Farris was Tacoma’s Infield/Baserunning Coach in 2023 before shifting to the bench coach for 2024 and 2025. Prior to joining the Rainiers, Farris was the manager of the High-A Everett AquaSox in 2021-22. Prior to that, Farris was the hitting coach of the Mariners Class-A affiliate in West Virginia in 2019, mentoring Julio Rodriguez, and the hitting coach in Everett in 2018, where he guided Cal Raleigh.

Mejias-Brean (meh-HE-iss BREEN) makes his second appearance on a Rainiers coaching staff in 2026, having previously held the role of Tacoma’s bench coach in 2022. Mejias-Brean played 115 games for Tacoma from 2017-18, hitting .267 with 19 doubles, four triples and nine home runs, driving in 51 runs. Following his playing career, his first coaching job came with the Rainiers in 2022, followed by stops as the hitting coach in Modesto (2023), Everett (2024) and Arkansas (2025).

McCarthy takes over as the Rainiers pitching coach in 2026, with several minor league assignments and a Major League role on his resume. McCarthy was last the pitching coach for Triple-A Gwinnett in 2024, where the team’s 1.37 WHIP was tied for the best in the International League, while their 4.33 ERA was the second-best in the league. In 2023 McCarthy was the bullpen coach for the Oakland Athletics. McCarthy has worked in the Pacific Coast League before, as he was the pitching coach for El Paso in 2022. Prior to that, McCarthy was the pitching coach in the Twins organization, working with Triple-A Rochester from 2018-19 and Triple-A St. Paul in 2021.

On the athletic training side, Aric Quinney returns to Tacoma for a fourth season and his seventh year with the Mariners. Quinney was ATC for Everett from 2021-22 prior to joining the Rainiers and will be joined again by ATC Amanda Lee in 2026. Lee is in her eighth season in the Mariners organization after serving as Double-A Arkansas’ Athletic Trainer. She was also a certified athletic trainer for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018 prior to joining Seattle. Corey Measner returns to Tacoma for his third season as the team’s Strength & Conditioning Coach. He brings over 10 years of experience in performance and strength and conditioning roles, including as Minor League Strength and Conditioning Coach for the San Diego Padres from 2017-21.

The Rainiers open the 2026 season on the road at Reno on Friday, March 27. Tacoma’s home opener will be played on Tuesday, March 31 against the El Paso Chihuahuas, with first pitch slated for 6:05 PM. Details for single-game tickets will be shared at a later date.