It took one week for the Braves to shift this ex-Orioles manager’s role

Fans of the Baltimore Orioles know what Tony Mansolino brings in the heat of a season; Atlanta just put that value in neon. As Walt Weiss set his priorities — experience up top, cleaner lines, better leverage planning — the Braves bumped the ex-Orioles interim from third-base coach to bench coach in seven days. It’s a rapid promotion that echoes what the O’s saw up close.

Why the quick pivot? Because the bench job isn’t window dressing in Atlanta. Mansolino’s 2025 experience running the Orioles midseason gave him the one thing you can’t simulate: live reps making calls that sway games and steer a clubhouse. For a contender aiming to make every margin matter, sliding that experience next to Weiss is the kind of move that pays off 162 different ways.

Orioles’ former interim Tony Mansolino climbs Atlanta’s coaching ladder in record time

The sequence moved fast. Atlanta hired Walt Weiss on Nov. 3, 2025. By Nov. 7, Tony Mansolino was announced as third-base coach. As Weiss locked in his 2026 staff, the Braves made a targeted tweak: on Nov. 11, Mansolino slid to bench coach, formalizing the dugout partnership they wanted.

The move left third base open, and Atlanta plugged it with Tommy Watkins. A noted communicator and fundamentals-first teacher, he fits a roster that prizes crisp baserunning and clean defense. The through-line is clear: teachers on the lines, a like-minded manager–bench coach pairing in the middle.

For Mansolino, the bench seat is a better use of his recent résumé. He’s handled lineup cards, navigated pitching plans, and dealt with the day-to-day unpredictability that comes with guiding a club through a season. He finished the 2025 season leading the O’s to a 60-59 finish after a rough 15-28 start under Brandon Hyde.

For Weiss, it’s a trusted voice to game out scenarios in real time — the person you turn to when the tying run is on second and the bullpen phone is ringing. That alignment matters more than titles on a press release.

All told, Atlanta’s week-long reconfiguration wasn’t indecision; it was intent. The Braves identified the right roles for the right people and moved quickly to lock them in — Weiss as the tone-setter, Mansolino as the strategic co-pilot, Watkins minding the corners and lanes.