Drillers Announce 2026 Coaching Staff
Published on February 5, 2026 under Texas League (TL)
Tulsa Drillers News Release
The Tulsa Drillers took another step forward today in preparation for the 2026 season. The Drillers and the Los Angeles Dodgers jointly announced the set of coaches that will work this year alongside Tulsa manager Eric Wedge.
The 2026 coaching staff will include four returning members in pitching coach Durin O'Linger, hitting coach Blake Gailen, head athletic trainer Ikuo "Ike" Kato and athletic trainer Dylan Correa.
New additions will include pitching coach Ramon Troncoso, bench coach Johan Garcia, outfield/base running coach Braelin Hence, coach/bullpen catcher Juan Zabala, performance coach Jake Taylor and development associate Tyler DeJong.
O'Linger returns for his fourth season the Drillers, continuing an impressive tenure that has seen 11 former Tulsa pitchers advance to make their major league debuts with the Dodgers. That group includes Ben Casparius, Jack Dreyer, Edgardo Henriquez, Landon Knack, Emmet Sheehan and Justin Wrobleski, who all played roles in the Dodgers consecutive World Series victories.
Gailen is set to begin his second season as Tulsa's hitting coach and his fifth as a minor league coach for the Dodgers. Gailen returns with his wealth of experience after playing six seasons in the minors, including part of the 2017 season with the Drillers. Internationally, Gailen played for Team Israel during the Tokyo Olympics and later coached for Israel in the World Baseball Classic.
Completing the returning members of the coaching staff are athletic trainers Kato and Correa. Kato enters his fifth season with the Dodgers and his second with the Drillers, while Correa begins his second year in the Dodgers organization.
A veteran of the Dodgers development system but new to the Drillers staff is pitching coach Ramon Troncoso. Troncoso will begin his ninth season as a Dodgers coach after spending the previous five as the pitching coach for Rancho Cucamonga. Prior to coaching, the Dominican Republic native pitched in parts of five seasons in the major leagues, including four with Los Angeles. Troncoso appeared in two games for the Drillers during the 2015 season.
Garcia will work beside Wedge while serving as the Drillers bench coach. It will be his seventh season with the Dodgers. He previously served as bench coach at Rancho Cucamonga and spent the past three seasons in the same role at the Dodgers Arizona Complex.
Hence will start the 2026 campaign in a new role serving as Tulsa's outfield/base running coach. The Arkansas native is set to begin his second season with the Dodgers after he spent last season as development coach for Great Lakes.
Zabala will serve on the staff as a coach/bullpen catcher in his first season as a Dodgers coach. The former Dodgers farmhand played parts of eight minor league seasons as a catcher, including a stint with the Drillers in 2021.
Taylor takes over as performance coach for his third season with the Dodgers, after serving in the same role with Great Lakes in 2024 and Rancho Cucamonga in 2025.
Rounding out the group is DeJong, who fills the role of development associate. It will be his second season with the Dodgers, after he spent the 2025 season at the Dodgers Arizona Complex.
The Drillers are scheduled to open the 2026 regular season at ONEOK Field on Thursday, April 2 by hosting the San Antonio Missions. First pitch for the opener is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Individual tickets for all games this season are now on sale. In addition, season ticket memberships are still available at TulsaDrillers.com or by calling 918-744-5901.
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