Santos won the 2024 Southern League Championship as the manager of the Double-A Birmingham Barons.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. β The Charlotte Knights have named Sergio Santos as their manager for the 2025 season, making him the 26th manager in franchise history and the fourth former Knights player to lead the team.
Santos, 41, joins Charlotte after guiding the Double-A Birmingham Barons to a Southern League Championship in 2024. Under his leadership, the Barons captured a first-half division title with a 41-28 record and finished the season 72-66 before defeating the Montgomery Biscuits for the championship.
The Los Angeles native enters his fourth season as a minor league manager with a career record of 180-145. He previously managed in the New York Yankees’ organization, where he led the FCL Yankees to a championship in 2022 and earned FCL Manager of the Year honors.
Santos told NBC Sports Chicago in September he expressed interest in the Chicago White Sox managerial position. Chicago fired their manager in September after a 28-89 start. The White Sox finished 41-121, the fifth-worst MLB record since 1901.Β
Santos’ connection to Charlotte dates back to 2009 when he pitched three games for the Knights before beginning a six-year major league career. He compiled a 7-12 record with 39 saves and a 3.98 ERA across stints with the Chicago White Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Originally drafted as an infielder by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first round of the 2002 MLB Draft, Santos converted to pitching in 2009. His best season came in 2011 with the White Sox, when he recorded 30 saves.
Joel Skinner, Nick Capra, and Justin Jirschele are the previous Knights players to become the team’s manager. Jirschele, who managed the Knights until he was promoted to be the White Sox third base coach in August 2024 will retain that role in 2025.
The team will announce the complete 2025 field staff at a later date.
