The Charleston RiverDogs will have a new manager for the first time since 2023, as the Tampa Bay Rays have announced Danny Mendick as the club’s skipper for 2026.
Mendick, 32, joined the Rays organization as a minor league coach in 2025 following a playing career that included six seasons in the big leagues.
"We’re excited to watch our players in Charleston compete and develop with Danny at the helm,” Rays director of minor league operations George Pappas said. “We appreciate the relationships he’s already formed with many of these players following the draft, as well as the perspective he brings to the dugout having played in the big leagues little more than a year ago. Those qualities make for a solid dynamic for what projects to be a very talented group heading into the 2026 season.”
In 231 career games, 198 of them with the White Sox, Mendick posted a .647 OPS with 13 home runs while patrolling the infield. The Rochester, New York, native played his way to the Majors after being selected in the 22nd round of the 2015 draft by White Sox out of UMass Lowell.
Mendick takes the helm after Sean Smedley’s three-year tenure in which the team posted a 203-188 record with two playoff berths and the 2023 Carolina League Title.
“We’ve had a great run of successful managers with the RiverDogs,” RiverDogs President and GM Dave Echols said. “With Danny’s MLB experience and knowledge of what it takes to get to the big leagues, we’re excited to watch him extend that run with this year’s roster.”
Fans can meet Mendick at the RiverDogs’ 22nd annual Hot Stove Banquet, presented by the Marino Family, from 6 to 9 p.m. on January 16 at the Gaillard Center, featuring Chipper Jones as the keynote speaker. Tickets are available at RiverDogs.com.
The RiverDogs will kick off the 2026 season at home on April 2, as they host the Myrtle Beach Pelicans at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park. The full schedule is available online and single game tickets are on sale now.
The remainder of the coaching staff will be released at a later date.