The Orioles’ coaching staff has been in a fluid state since the team hired Craig Albernaz as the new skipper, but interim third base coach Buck Britton will be a holdover for the 2026 season. Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner reports that Britton will shed the “interim” label in his title and return as Baltimore’s third base coach next season.
Britton opened the 2025 season on the Orioles’ staff but with the generic title of major league coach. He moved into the third base coach role after the O’s fired manager Brandon Hyde and elevated then-third base coach Tony Mansolino to the interim manager post. Mansolino interviewed for the full-time gig but lost out to Albernaz and has since joined Atlanta’s coaching staff.
The 39-year-old Britton is the older brother of former Orioles star reliever Zack Britton. He played in parts of seven minor league seasons — seven with the Orioles — from 2008-16. His playing days closed with minor league stints in the Dodgers and Twins organizations. Britton almost immediately jumped into coaching, landing a job as the hitting coach for the Orioles’ Class-A affiliate in 2017. A year later, he was managing that club. Britton slowly climbed the minor league ladder as a skipper, managing the Orioles’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates for multiple seasons each until he was added to the big league staff in 2025.
Given the glut of managerial and coaching experience he’s accrued before even celebrating his 40th birthday, Britton could well have a prominent future in big league dugouts. He’ll join pitching coach Drew French and pitching strategy coach Ryan Klimek on a revamped staff that includes new hires Donnie Ecker (bench coach), Dustin Lind (hitting coach), Miguel Cairo (infield coach) and Jason Bourgeois (first base/outfield coach).
