TORONTO — Jose Ministral is being promoted to head athletic trainer by the Toronto Blue Jays, taking over from the departed Nikki Huffman, according to two industry sources.
Ministral served as the club’s assistant trainer the past two seasons after joining the organization in 2013.
He began his baseball career back in 1998 as a Gulf Coast League with the Pittsburgh Pirates, spending 14 years in the system, six of them as the head trainer at triple-A.
The wealth of baseball experience he brings to the position contrasts with the relative inexperience Huffman had when she was promoted into the head role following the departure of the beloved George Poulis to Atlanta.
That spoke to her potential, but this time the respected Ministral’s history with the organization and depth of time in the game took the club a different route.
Huffman unexpectedly parted with the club after the season ended, intent on training athletes privately. Shortly after her departure became public, Marcus Stroman — who worked with Huffman closely at Duke and paved her way into the Blue Jays system — tweeted that he was reuniting with her.
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