Rockies bring back interim manager Warren Schaeffer in full-time role in 2026 despite 119-loss season

The Colorado Rockies are giving Warren Schaeffer another shot at bringing the franchise back to prominence. Schaeffer, who took over as the team's interim manager in May following the firing of Bud Black, will return in the full-time role in 2026, the team announced Monday.

The Rockies were 7-33 at the time Schaeffer was named the interim manager. The club went 36-86 under him, finishing with a 43-119 record. The team's 119 losses rank as the third worst in baseball since 1901. Only the 2024 Chicago White Sox and 1962 New York Mets lost more games in a season than the 2025 Rockies.

The move comes with the Rockies in the midst of some major offseason changes. The team already made one blockbuster move this offseason, convincing former Athletics executive Paul DePodesta to leave the Cleveland Browns and return to MLB as the Rockies' head of baseball operations.

DePodesta was apparently impressed enough with Schaeffer — who received high marks from players at the end of the season for his communication skills and attention to detail, per Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post — that DePodesta felt good about bringing Schaeffer back for another year.

Schaeffer, 40, is deeply familiar with the organization. After a standout college baseball career at Virginia Tech, Schaeffer was drafted by the Rockies in the 38th round of the 2007 MLB Draft. He spent six seasons with the team in the minors, reaching as high as Triple-A.

Schaeffer's minor-league career ended in 2012. He finished with a career slash line of .214/.273/.285. He never reached the majors.

After his playing career ended, Schaeffer remained in the organization as a coach. He worked his way up the ranks over the years, eventually getting promoted to the majors in 2022. Schaeffer served in a variety of coaching roles with the Rockies since 2022 before he was named the team's interim manager in May of 2025.

While Schaeffer's record with the team wasn't strong, the entire organization did him no favors. The Rockies have been mired in mediocrity for multiple seasons, finishing either fourth or fifth in the National League West in each of the last seven seasons.

The Rockies are hoping DePodesta can change that. And to kick off his tenure as the franchise's head of baseball operations, DePodesta will put his trust in Schaeffer to prove he has what it takes to grow and develop the team's players.