Athletics Hire Ryan Christenson As First Base Coach

The Athletics announced they have brought back Ryan Christenson to serve as first base coach. Bobby Crosby will shift from first base to third base next season, bumping Eric Martins from the role. The rest of manager Mark Kotsay’s staff will be back for 2026.

Christenson has spent a large portion of his baseball career in the A’s organization, both as a player and a coach. He debuted with the team in 1998 and would appear in parts of four seasons with the club. Christenson got his coaching start with the A’s as a minor league manager in 2013. He spent five seasons as a skipper at various levels. Christenson compiled a 391-307 record and was named the California League Manager of the Year in 2014 and the Texas League Manager of the Year in 2016.

In 2018, Christenson got his first job on the big-league staff. He joined the A’s as a bench coach, a role he would retain through 2021. When former A’s manager Bob Melvin took the same gig in San Diego, Christenson went with him. He once again followed Melvin in 2024, this time to San Francisco. Christenson had been a bench coach with the Giants for the past two seasons.

Crosby’s career has also played out largely with the A’s. The team selected him in the first round in 2021. He spent seven of his eight MLB seasons with the A’s, taking home AL Rookie of the Year honors in 2004. Crosby entered the coaching ranks in 2019 with Midland, the Double-A affiliate of the Athletics. He coached in the minors until 2024, when he became the A’s first base coach. Crosby will now head across the diamond after a pair of seasons at first base.

Martins had been the club’s third base coach since 2023. He also got his coaching start with Midland, serving as hitting coach in 2015. He joined the A’s as assistant hitting coach in 2020. After two seasons in that role, he was named first base coach in 2022.