After exit, A’s shuffle training lineup

The Oakland Athletics have promoted two athletic trainers, creating a position on their training staff that will bring together procedure oversight for both their major- and minor-league players.

The reshuffle comes in the wake of the departure of Nick Paparesta, who served as head athletic trainer for 12 years. He now works for the Minnesota Twins. On Friday, the A’s named Brian Schulman as director of sports medicine and rehabilitation and Jeff Collins as head athletic trainer. Schulman has been in the organization 12 years, Collins 25.

Under the role created for Schulman, he will oversee the medical department and sport performance (strength and conditioning) department both in the majors and minors and will work with the baseball operations department to expand the organization’s sports science program.

Previously a trainer and rehab coordinator at Cal, Schulman joined the A’s in 2011 as an assistant trainer and will maintain that role, working with Collins.

Collins was an assistant trainer the past six years and previously worked 19 years in the A’s farm system.

During the 2023 season, the A’s used the injury list a club-record 31 times, but nine of those stints were for players going on the COVID list, mostly because of the outbreak in April.