Braxton Ashcraft Fantasy Stats

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Braxton Ashcraft (arm) is unlikely to return to the mound this season, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports. Ashcraft appears to be making progress as he was able to play catch from 90 feet on Friday. Despite that, Ashcraft is unlikely to make enough progress to get back on the mound before the end of the regular season. Ashcraft has been out since early September due to right arm discomfort. Ashcraft is probably done for the year, but he did post a breakout campaign for the Pirates this season. Across 28 starts, Ashcraft posted a 3.65 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and a 173/35 K/BB ratio across 165.1 innings of work.

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Thursday that they placed right-hander Braxton Ashcraft (arm) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to Sept. 7) with discomfort in his right arm and recalled right-hander Antwone Kelly from Triple-A Indianapolis in a corresponding move. If Ashcraft returns after his 15 days are up on the IL, he will have just enough time to make one more start in 2026, but the Pirates surely will not be rushing him back. Most likely, we have seen Ashcraft make his last start of the season last Saturday against the Los Angeles Angels, when he allowed three earned runs. The 26-year-old former second-rounder in 2018 was a first-time All-Star in 2025 in his second year in the big leagues, and he has gone 14-6 with a 3.65 ERA (3.50 FIP), 1.09 WHIP, and 173:35 K:BB in 165 1/3 innings pitched across 28 starts. It has been a nice breakout season for Ashcraft, but he is now unlikely to help anyone in the fantasy postseason.

Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Braxton Ashcraft had a much-needed dominant performance over the hosting Miami Marlins on Thursday, throwing a complete game with one earned run allowed on three hits (one homer) while walking one and striking out 10 for his 12th win of the season. Ashcraft lowered his ERA on the season to 3.88 in the process. The only run he allowed in the contest was a solo home run to Owen Caissie in the bottom of the ninth inning. Coming into Thursday's outing in Miami, Ashcraft had posted a 7.88 ERA in his last five starts over 24 innings, so his fantasy managers have to be pretty happy he was able to turn it around in such a dominant way against Miami. In addition to his 3.88 ERA on the year, Ashcraft now sports a 1.11 WHIP with 155 strikeouts and 33 walks in his second full season in the big leagues. He'll look to make it two strong starts in a row his next time out in a difficult matchup against the Detroit Tigers, who have the 11th-best team OPS in the majors in 2026.

Across 116 1/3 innings (20 starts) in 2026, Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Braxton Ashcraft has recorded a 9-4 record with a 3.95 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 130 strikeouts. While Ashcraft's overall line is strong, he's run into a rough patch of late. Across his last two starts, the 26-year-old has allowed four home runs and 12 earned runs in just eight innings pitched. Ashcraft's previous career-high for innings pitched in a professional season was 73 in 2024, so he may be running into a wall under the strain of his current workload. However, the young right-hander's underlying metrics still point to high-end upside. Ashcraft is averaging 97.2 miles per hour on his fastball, and he's logged a 27.0% strikeout rate with just a 5.8% walk rate. In leagues where managers are panicking after back-to-back rough outings, Ashcraft could be worth buying low on.

Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Braxton Ashcraft had his third straight strong start on Wednesday night in an 11-1 blowout win at PNC Park against the Seattle Mariners. Ashcraft allowed just one earned run on five hits while walking none and striking out 10 in six innings of work for his seventh victory of the 2026 season. The strong start lowered his season ERA to 3.07. The lone run that the 26-year-old former second-rounder in 2018 gave up came in the first inning, but he settled down after that to shut the M's down. It was Ashcraft's third straight start with two runs allowed or fewer, and he has now held opponents to two runs or fewer while going at least six innings in six of his last 10 starts. In addition to his 3.07 ERA on the year, Ashcraft has posted a 1.09 WHIP with 107 strikeouts and only 22 walks in 96 2/3 innings pitched across 16 starts in his second year in the big leagues. His strong second year with Pittsburgh has boosted his fantasy appeal, and he's now rostered in almost 90% of Yahoo leagues. Ashcraft will be put to the test in his next scheduled outing on the road against the Philadelphia Phillies. In his first meeting at home against Philly on May 15, Ashcraft allowed four earned runs with no walks and five strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings for a no-decision.

Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Braxton Ashcraft (personal) is expected to be activated from the bereavement list to start Tuesday's game against the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park, according to DK Pittsburgh Sports' Jose Negron. Ashcraft ended up being pushed back one spot in the team's starting rotation after they placed him on the bereavement list on Saturday. The 26-year-old former second-rounder in 2018 has displayed solid command of the baseball so far in 2026 in his five starts, going 1-1 with a 2.43 ERA (2.42 FIP) and 1.01 WHIP with 32 strikeouts and nine walks in 29 2/3 innings pitched. The Cardinals' offense ranks 13th in baseball in OPS (.713), but Ashcraft, who could be pitching with a heavy heart, should be returned to starting fantasy lineups in most leagues. He went 4-4 with a 2.71 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 71:24 K:BB in 69 2/3 frames over 26 appearances (eight starts) as a rookie in Pittsburgh in 2025.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Braxton Ashcraft (personal) was placed on the bereavement list on Saturday. The right-hander is currently away from the team while dealing with a personal matter. He was scheduled to start against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday. That won't happen with Ashcraft being forced to miss at least three games while on the bereavement list. In a corresponding move, reliever Cam Sanders has been recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis. It's unclear who is going to make the start in place of Ashcraft. It's possible that the Pirates go with a bullpen game, but more information should be known closer to that contest.

Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Braxton Ashcraft put up quality numbers across 26 games (eight starts) in his first taste of the big leagues in 2025, posting a 4-4 record with a 2.71 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 71 strikeouts across 69 2/3 innings. The 26-year-old appears to be locked into a full-time rotation role heading into 2026, and he could be on the verge of a breakout campaign. Across 13 1/3 innings this spring, Ashcraft has recorded 16 strikeouts while allowing just one walk. He also did a nice job limiting hard contact in his MLB appearances in 2025, allowing just a 38.5% hard-hit rate and posting a 0.39 HR/9. For fantasy managers searching the late rounds of drafts for starting pitchers with upside, Ashcraft could be a name to target.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Braxton Ashcraft struck out eight in 5 1/3 strong innings on Wednesday against the Detroit Tigers. The 26-year-old appeared in 26 games (eight starts) in his first taste of the majors last season, logging 69 2/3 innings and compiling a 2.71 ERA and 2.78 FIP. He looks ready to anchor a key spot in the Pirates' rotation going into the season and is an underrated part of the Pirates' exciting young rotation. If you need a late-round starting pitcher, Ashcraft can be an intriguing sleeper pick and can definitely be a streaming option to consider early in the season if he goes undrafted in mixed leagues.

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcraft is projected to earn a spot in the starting rotation, according to Alex Stumpf of MLB.com. Injuries plagued Ashcraft for several consecutive seasons, but he got over the injury bug with a healthy season in 2025. He made 26 appearances (eight starts) in the majors last year, pitching to a 2.78 FIP with 9.17 K/9 and 3.10 BB/9. He also made 10 starts at the Triple-A level, where he logged an additional 48.1 innings of work. Ashcraft's ability to remain effective and stay healthy has put him in the mix for a 26-man roster spot, and Stumpf's article seems to confirm that the Pirates' fourth rotation spot is his to lose. He'll join Paul Skenes, Bubba Chandler, and Mitch Keller in this impressive Pittsburgh pitching staff. He currently ranks as the #96 starting pitcher in the latest RotoBaller fantasy baseball draft rankings for 2026.