Twins announce changes to coaching staff

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, MN – The Minnesota Twins announced today that hitting coaches Rudy Hernandez and David Popkins, assistant hitting coach Derek Shomon and assistant bench/infield coach Tony Diaz will not return to the major league coaching staff in 2025.

Hernandez joined the Twins organization in 1996 as an instructor at the Twins Venezuelan Academy. Since then, he has held various minor league and major league coaching roles over 29 seasons. He was most recently the Twins’ hitting coach from 2020-24 after serving as the club’s assistant hitting coach from 2015-19.

Popkins joined the Twins in November of 2021 and spent the last three seasons (2022-24) as one of the club’s hitting coaches. Prior to his time with Minnesota, he was the hitting coach for High-A Great Lakes in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization in 2021.

Shomon joined the Twins major league coaching staff in November of 2022 and spent the last two seasons (2023-24) as the club’s assistant hitting coach. Prior to his time with the big league club, Shomon was the hitting coach for Double-A Wichita in 2022 and the hitting coach for High-A Fort Myers in 2021.

Diaz joined the Twins prior to the 2019 season, spending three seasons as the club’s third base coach (2019-21) and the last three (2022-24) as the assistant bench/infield coach.