Ex-Cubs outfielder you never expected to be a coach just resurfaced with Padres

The 2020 Chicago Cubs' roster is a prime team to point to when looking for immaculate grid answers, considering it was a roster filled with journeyman veterans sprinkled in between the core that won the World Series in 2016. One of those veterans was outfielder Steven Souza Jr., who was designated for assignment by the Cubs in the middle of a doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers.

In the shortened season, Souza only appeared in 11 games with the Cubs, hitting 1 home run, but Chicago was faced with a roster crunch after deals for Cameron Maybin and José Martínez. After missing the entire 2019 season recovering from a torn ACL, the 2020 season, for many reasons, wasn't exactly the comeback Souza had planned for.

In case you were curious (or forgot), Jason Kipnis, Josh Phegley, Hernán Perez, Jason Adam, and Rex Brothers were among the other obscure veterans to have a stop in Chicago in 2020.

After hitting 30 home runs with the Rays in 2017, Souza was never able to recapture his power approach, leading to his retirement after a brief run with the Seattle Mariners in 2022. Almost as strange as Souza being on the Cubs' roster in 2020, the 36-year-old suddenly has a job on a Major League team's coaching staff.

Forgotten Cubs' outfielder Steven Souza Jr. lands a Major League coaching role despite having no experience.

The San Diego Padres have hired Souza to be their next hitting coach. A curious choice, considering Souza has yet to hold a coaching role at the Major League level. He was a special assistant with the Tampa Bay Rays last season, but it seems like quite the leap to go from an advisory role in the front office to one of the more important coaches on a Major League coaching staff.

Souza will be working under first-year manager Craig Stammen, who was hired in San Diego as Mike Shildt's replacement. Stammen and Souza were teammates with the Washington Nationals in 2014.

If anything, it's more comfort for the Cubs, who are entering the third season with Craig Counsell as their manager. Despite Ryan Flaherty being linked to several managerial openings this offseason, he's returning as Counsell's bench coach in 2026, and the rest of the Major League staff largely remains in place.