San Diego Padres bring back former Reds outfielder Wil Myers, assign player development coaching role

Padres add a former Cincinnati outfielder to player development

The San Diego Padres have hired former Major League outfielder Wil Myers as a special assignment coach within the club’s player development department, expanding the organization’s on-field instruction and mentorship capacity ahead of the 2026 season.

Myers, who last appeared in the majors with the Cincinnati Reds, returns to the Padres organization after previously spending eight seasons in San Diego as a core position player. His new role is structured within player development rather than the major-league coaching staff, a designation typically used for roving instructors who can work across multiple affiliates and collaborate with coordinators on specific areas of player growth.

What the role typically entails

While specific day-to-day responsibilities are not always publicly itemized for special assignment positions, these jobs generally include work at spring training, periodic visits to minor league affiliates, and targeted instruction for individual players. The focus often spans hitting approach, defensive preparation, baserunning details, routine building, and helping younger players adjust to professional expectations.

Because the position sits inside player development, the assignment can also include offseason touchpoints and supporting organizational initiatives such as evaluating instructional priorities, reinforcing terminology across levels, and serving as an additional set of experienced eyes during key development windows.

Myers’ background with San Diego and Cincinnati

Myers is best known in San Diego for a long tenure that began in 2015 and ran through 2022. Over that span, he played both outfield and corner infield, contributing as a middle-of-the-order power bat at his peak and later as a multi-position option. He was also a prominent figure during the Padres’ return to postseason contention.

After leaving the Padres, Myers later played for the Reds, giving him recent experience inside another National League organization and exposure to a different player-development environment. That combination—long familiarity with the Padres and a more recent stint elsewhere—positions him to bring both institutional knowledge and a broader perspective to the instructional side of the Padres’ system.

Part of a wider set of organizational additions

Myers’ hiring was announced alongside the return of former Padres manager Bud Black, who was added as a senior advisor to baseball operations. The two moves reflect an offseason emphasis on adding experienced baseball personnel in roles that can influence the organization beyond the major-league clubhouse.

• Wil Myers: special assignment coach (player development)
• Bud Black: senior advisor to baseball operations

The Padres’ announcement places Myers inside player development, a department designed to shape players from the minor leagues through big-league readiness.

With spring training approaching, the hires establish additional layers of experience around the Padres’ pipeline, with Myers expected to work directly with developing players as the organization sets priorities for 2026.