Former MLB Player Toby Hall Tapped As ThunderBolts Interim Manager As Bobby Jenks Battles Cancer

CRESTWOOD, IL — Windy City ThunderBolts field manager Bobby Jenks is taking an indefinite leave of absence as he undergoes treatment for stage 4 stomach cancer.

Jenks was coming off of his first season as ThunderBolts manager and had nearly completed assembling his 2025 spring training roster when he received his diagnosis. He is currently receiving treatment for his cancer in Portugal, where he moved with his family this offseason.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Bobby and his family during these incredibly difficult times,” Windy City general manager Mike VerSchave said in a news release. “Bobby could not wait for his second season to get going, and we will miss his smile and always positive attitude at the ballpark this summer. I know he will be watching the roster he constructed very closely from abroad as he battles this terrible disease.”

Jenks is expected to return to his managerial role as soon as his health allows it.

In his absence, bench coach Toby Hall will take on the role of interim manager. Hall enjoyed a nine-year Major League career, spending the majority of his time with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He is the Rays' all-time leader in games played as a catcher.

Hall was teammates with Jenks for two years on the Chicago White Sox from 2007 to 2008. He served as Jenks’ bench coach for the Grand Junction Rockies (now Jackalopes) during their run to the 2022 Pioneer League championship.

Hall’s position as interim manager will be his first official duty with the ThunderBolts. He had been hired by Jenks to be the bench coach in 2025 and was officially added to the staff just prior to Jenks’ diagnosis. Rounding out the current coaching staff is hitting coach Kevin Santiago, who returns for his fifth season overall with the ThunderBolts.

Jenks and Hall have remained in communication throughout the offseason, including in recent weeks as they’ve put the finishing touches on the ThunderBolts’ roster for the upcoming campaign.

“I’ve known Toby for many years and would not have hired him as my bench coach if he wasn’t completely qualified to run the show in the first place,” Jenks said.

He also reiterated his plan to return to the manager’s chair as soon as possible, humorously adding about the Bolts’ interim manager, “He needs to remember that there is still a big letter 'I' in the beginning of his new title!”

This press release was produced by the Windy City Thunderbolts. The views expressed here are the author’s own.