Pittsburgh Pirates News

Bubba Chandler  • SP  •  Pirates

Bubba Chandler Tosses Five Shutout Innings In Latest Start

Pittsburgh Pirates pitching prospect Bubba Chandler tossed five shutout innings in his latest start at Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday, allowing just one hit and no walks while striking out four. Worth noting, the righty got up to 70 pitches, and is about as stretched out as he needs to be in order to get that call to the majors. Pittsburgh's current fifth man in the rotation, reliever-turned-starter Carmen Mlodzinski, has allowed three or more earned runs in four of his five starts and hasn't gone longer than five innings in any of them. Chandler owns a 1.33 ERA, 0.64 WHIP, and a 28.4 percent K-BB%, and although Triple-A competition is not the same as the major leagues, MLB's 14th-ranked prospect would be an upgrade for the Pirates' rotation. Those in need of pitching help with an available roster spot should consider stashing the 6-foot-3 hurler ahead of his eventual call-up, which is expected to happen by the end of May.
1 hour ago   
Andrew McCutchen  • DH  •  Pirates

Andrew McCutchen Picks Up Four Hits In Loss

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen went 4-for-4 with a home run in Sunday's 9-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was his third homer of the season, and the veteran added three singles for his fourth multi-hit performance of the year. McCutchen has been hitting well in recent days, notching at least one hit in six of seven games with four extra-base hits (two doubles, two home runs) during the stretch. The 38-year-old is having a bit of a resurgent season thus far, slashing .276/.368/.447, with increased quality of contact and a palatable 17.2% strikeout rate after a career-high in that statistic a season ago (25.8%). Moreover, McCutchen is registering a hard-hit ball 49.2% of the time with an average exit velocity of 91.2 MPH. Both figures would be career-bests if they hold.
15 hours ago   
Spencer Horwitz  • 1B  •  Pirates

Spencer Horwitz Batting Leadoff For Double-A Altoona

Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Spencer Horwitz (wrist) begins his rehab assignment on Sunday, batting leadoff for the Double-A Altoona Curve. The Radford alum has yet to suit up in 2025 as he battled back from wrist surgery that was performed to address "chronic issues." Horwitz hit well the last time we saw him in the big leagues, slashing .265/.357/.433 with 12 homers, 19 doubles, 40 RBI, and 46 runs scored across 328 at-bats. He consistently hit for a high average during his time in the minors and should boost fantasy managers in that department once his rehab program is complete. The 27-year-old has also displayed excellent plate discipline throughout his career.
Yesterday   
Paul Skenes  • SP  •  Pirates

Paul Skenes Strikes Out Nine In Win Over Dodgers

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes dominated the Dodgers on Friday, throwing six-and-a-third innings of scoreless ball, scattering five hits while walking none and striking out nine on his way to earning the win in the 3-0 victory. That makes three consecutive quality starts for the righty and four quality starts out of six, now with a 3-2 record to go along with a 2.39 ERA (1.70 FIP), 0.80 WHIP, and a pristine 24.6 percent K-BB%. The 2024 NL Rookie of the Year's next start lines up with the Cubs at home next week, which should be a tough test as Chicago is averaging the highest runs per game in all of baseball to start the year, with the fourth-highest team batting average against right-handed pitching.
2 days ago   
Bailey Falter  • SP  •  Pirates

Bailey Falter Good To Go To Start On Sunday Against Dodgers

Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Bailey Falter (back) has been cleared to make his next start on Sunday on the road against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Falter was pulled after four innings in his last start on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels due to back tightness, but the 28-year-old southpaw was able to recover and will pitch again this weekend. We would recommend that fantasy managers looking for streamers on Sunday avoid Falter against one of the best teams in baseball on the road. Falter has shown strong control (only seven walks in 26 innings), but he's allowed 17 runs (15 earned) on 24 hits (one homer) while striking out 20 for a 5.19 ERA (4.40 FIP). This is not the time to get cute and roll Falter out there against the best lineup in baseball, especially coming off a back injury in his last start.
3 days ago   
Javier Rivas  • SS  •  Pirates

Javier Rivas Continues Hot Start To High-A Regular Season

Pittsburgh Pirates infield prospect Javier Rivas continued to swing a hot bat during his first extended look at High-A. On Wednesday, Rivas went 2-for-4 with two home runs. Over his last nine contests, Rivas has held an impressive .394/.444/.788 slash line with two doubles and four home runs. Through 16 games this season, the 22-year-old has posted a .335/.397/.694 line with three doubles and six round-trippers. During his first taste of High-A ball last season, Rivas held a modest .125/.176/.188 slash line with just one extra-base hit across 10 games. He spent most of the 2024 campaign with Low-A, where he held a .223/.282/.393 line. This is a great sign to see Rivas take the next step against tougher competition. If he continues this steady progress, he could earn a late-season taste of Double-A.
4 days ago   
Oneil Cruz  • CF  •  Pirates

Oneil Cruz Keeps Stacking Stats

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop/outfielder Oneil Cruz had both a home run and a stolen base in the Pirates' 3-0 win over the Angels on Wednesday night. His stolen base came in the third inning, and his home run was a solo shot off Jack Kochanowicz in the fifth inning. Cruz is up to six home runs and 11 stolen bases on the season and is hitting .247 with a .370 wOBA. He has always been a Statcast darling, and he has continued that trend with a 55.6% hard-hit rate and an 18.55 barrel rate. Cruz has looked very comfortable in the leadoff spot for the Pirates and should continue to be an elite fantasy producer with plenty of upside as long as he can stay healthy, especially in home runs and steals. He was part of the 20-20 club last year with 21 homers and 22 stolen bases, but he is on base to finish much better in both categories in 2025.
4 days ago   
Andrew Heaney  • SP  •  Pirates

Andrew Heaney Tosses Six Shutout Innings

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Andrew Heaney picked up the win and fired six scoreless innings against the Angels in a 3-0 victory on Wednesday. He struck out nine and only allowed one hit. This was his second straight scoreless outing, and his ERA on the season is now down to 1.72 with 31 strikeouts compared to only six walks in 31 innings pitched. He looked truly dominant in this start, inducing 24 whiffs on the night for an elite 46% whiff rate. However, it's hard to fully trust Heaney going forward, no matter how good he looks in any given start. He's shown flashes like this in every one of his more recent seasons, and still finished with an ERA above 4.00 in 2024 and 2023.
4 days ago   
Jared Jones  • SP  •  Pirates

Jared Jones To Undergo MRI This Week

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones (elbow) is scheduled to undergo a follow-up MRI at some point this week. The 23-year-old has been shut down since late in spring training while dealing with a UCL sprain his in elbow. He hasn't thrown a baseball in quite some time, so it's going to take him weeks to ramp back up. The hope is that the MRI goes well and Jones can start a throwing program soon. After that, Jones will likely need a few rehab starts before rejoining the Pirates rotation. The organization hasn't given much of a timetable, but mid-June seems realistic for Jones to rejoin the Pirates rotation.
5 days ago   
Bryan Reynolds  • RF  •  Pirates

Bryan Reynolds Busy In Tuesday's Victory

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds went 3-for-5 with two runs, two RBI, and a walk during their 9-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday evening. Reynolds would hit three singles in this game. In the ninth inning, Reynolds would conclude his evening with a two-run single, which scored outfielder Tommy Pham and infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa. This was Reynolds' second-straight three-hit game and third three-hit game over his last four games. During this offensive surge, Reynolds has posted an impressive .526/.550/.684 slash line with just one extra-base hit. However, before this impressive run, Reynolds was in a slump, hitting just .179 over his previous eight games. Given his recent hot stretch, the 30-year-old switch-hitter should be viewed as a strong play in DFS on Wednesday, facing Los Angeles right-hander Jack Kochanowicz.
5 days ago   
Bailey Falter  • SP  •  Pirates

Bailey Falter Leaves Outing On Tuesday With Back Tightness

Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Bailey Falter (back) was removed from his start early on Tuesday against the hosting Los Angeles Angels due to lower-back tightness, according to the team. Falter is currently being treated by the team's medical staff, and the Pirates will provide an update on his condition when new information becomes available. Before departing the contest in Anaheim, Falter had allowed three earned runs on five hits (one homer) while walking none and striking out five in four innings (65 pitches). It's anyone's guess as to whether the 27-year-old southpaw will be able to make his next scheduled start on Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Even if Falter's injury is minor and he's able to toe the rubber this weekend, fantasy managers will want to avoid him in that matchup. He has been inconsistent so far in 2025 and entered Tuesday's outing with a 4.91 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in his four starts.
6 days ago   
Termarr Johnson  • 2B  •  Pirates

Termarr Johnson Tallies Two Hits In Return

Pittsburgh Pirates infield prospect Termarr Johnson (knee) went 2-for-5 with a double during their contest against Double-A Somerset on Monday. Johnson suffered a minor knee injury on Friday. However, this is a great sign as Johnson was only held out of action over the weekend, which suggests the injury was not very serious. Through the first 12 games of the Double-A regular season, Johnson has held a .245/.351/.347 slash line with two doubles and one home run. Johnson has swiped five bags and held an impressive 9:8 K:BB. Last summer, the former fourth overall pick spent most of the campaign with High-A and held a modest .238/.372/.385 before earning a brief taste of Double-A. Fantasy managers should expect Johnson to spend most of the campaign at Double-A before earning a late-season look at Triple-A.
6 days ago   
Shalin Polanco  • CF  •  Pirates

Shalin Polanco Showing Power At High-A

Pittsburgh Pirates outfield prospect Shalin Polanco went 2-for-3 with two home runs during their contest against High-A Jersey Shore on Sunday. Polanco has begun to find his power at High-A as he has posted an impressive .286/.318/.952 slash line with two doubles and four long balls. During this stretch, he tallied seven RBI and scored five runs. Before this power surge, Polanco held a modest .176/.360/.294 line with just one extra-base hit over his first six contests of the season. Last summer, the 21-year-old spent his entire campaign at the Low-A level with the Bradenton Marauders. Across 104 games with Low-A, Polanco held a .191/.280/.343 slash line with just 11 long balls. Polanco is currently considered the No. 29-ranked prospect in the Pirates system and could be in the mix for a late-season taste of Double-A.
7 days ago   
Oneil Cruz  • CF  •  Pirates

Oneil Cruz Sitting On Sunday

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz is not in Sunday's lineup when they conclude a series against the Cleveland Guardians. Cruz has been in the starting nine in each of the previous seven contests and will get a much-needed day off. During this stretch, the 26-year-old has posted a .269/.367/.654 slash line with one double, three home runs, and three stolen bases. Through 19 games this season, Cruz has held a .234/.363/.500 slash line with five long balls and 10 stolen bases. Under the hood, he has generated an elite 20.5 percent barrel rate and a 54.5 percent hard-hit rate, which are both well above the average marks, which suggests his power production should continue to climb during the summer. Fantasy managers should expect Cruz to return to the lineup on Tuesday against the Angels. This afternoon, Alexander Canario will cover center field and bat in the five-hole.
Apr 20   
David Bednar  • RP  •  Pirates

David Bednar Recalled From Triple-A

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher David Bednar has been recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday. The 30-year-old was optioned to the minors after allowing four earned runs across three appearances early in the season. Since then, Bednar has tossed five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts over five appearances. Dennis Santana has been operating as the closer lately, so it's unclear if Bednar will take over the role. The expectation is Bednar will move back into a high-leverage role, but he might not get a ton of save opportunities right away. Bednar is worth monitoring in fantasy leagues, but isn't a must-have player right now.
Apr 19   
Dennis Santana  • RP  •  Pirates

Dennis Santana Locks Down Second Save

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Dennis Santana earned his second save of the season on Thursday afternoon during their victory over the Washington Nationals. Santana entered the game in the ninth inning and only needed to record two outs as Ryan Borucki started the inning. Santana retired both batters he faced. First, he got outfielder Dylan Crews to hit a ground out, and then proceeded to strike out infielder Luis Garcia Jr. With David Bednar being optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis, Santana has emerged as the favorite for save opportunities in the Steel City. Through his first nine innings of the season, the 29-year-old right-hander has held a 2.00 ERA with a 1.00 WHIP. He has struck out five batters but has generated a high 5.54 xERA, which suggests he could face some regression. Despite his underwhelming metrics, he is a viable target for saves in deeper formats.
Apr 18   
Andrew Heaney  • SP  •  Pirates

Andrew Heaney Blanks The Nationals For Series Sweep

Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Andrew Heaney had a nice bounce-back outing on Thursday to help sweep the visiting Washington Nationals at PNC Park, tossing 7 1/3 scoreless innings with five hits allowed, two walks and four strikeouts to win his first game of the season in a 1-0 ball game. It wasn't an eye-popping stat line when all was said and done, but Heaney induced a lot of weak contact and was efficient while throwing 95 pitches. The 33-year-old southpaw let up four earned runs in six innings in a loss to the Cincinnati Reds his last time out, but outside of that outing he's been strong in his first season in Pittsburgh. Heaney's strong effort on Thursday lowered his season ERA to 2.13 with 22 strikeouts and six walks in his first 25 1/3 innings pitched. While he shouldn't be counted on as a big strikeout guy, Heaney can continue to be a productive fantasy streamer in the right matchups.
Apr 18   
David Bednar  • RP  •  Pirates

David Bednar Looking Good In The Minors

Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed reliever David Bednar had another scoreless outing and picked up his third hold in his appearance with Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday night, tossing a shutout inning with one hit allowed, no walks and two strikeouts. After allowing four runs (three earned) and four hits in just one inning of work for the Pirates to start the year before being demoted to the minors, the 30-year-old veteran has now posted five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and no walks for Indy. Bednar had a rough 2024 campaign, too, posting a bloated 5.77 ERA (4.80 FIP), a 1.42 WHIP, 23 saves, 58 strikeouts and 28 walks in 57 2/3 innings pitched. He appears to be regaining confidence in the minors, but it remains to be seen if he'll be able to regain the closer's role in Pittsburgh from Dennis Santana whenever he rejoins the big-league roster.
Apr 17   
Bryan Reynolds  • RF  •  Pirates

Bryan Reynolds Making His Return To The Field

After starting the 2025 season as the regular designated hitter due to right-triceps soreness, Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds is making his first start in right field and will hit second in Thursday's series finale against the Washington Nationals and right-hander Trevor Williams. With Reynolds feeling good enough to return to the field, it should open up more at-bats for veteran outfielder Andrew McCutchen at DH moving forward. Fantasy managers will certainly be hoping that the Reynolds returning to the outfield means that he's getting healthier. His sore triceps might have played a big part in his underwhelming start to the season, as he enters Thursday's contest with a .203/.268/.338 slash line, two home runs, eight RBI and seven runs scored in his first 74 at-bats. The 30-year-old switch-hitter has hit .250 in eight career at-bats against Williams.
Apr 17   
Joey Bart  • C  •  Pirates

Joey Bart Back In The Lineup Against Nationals

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Joey Bart (back) is back behind the plate and catching left-hander Andrew Heaney and will bat cleanup in Thursday's series finale against the visiting Washington Nationals and right-hander Trevor Williams at PNC Park. Bart will return to action after missing the last five games due to lower-back soreness. With the 28-year-old backstop returning, Henry Davis will head to the bench. As long as his back injury doesn't bother him again, Bart will move forward as the Bucs' primary catcher, especially after starting the season strong at the plate. Before tweaking his back, Bart had gone 11-for-40 (.275) with a home run, five RBI, four runs scored and a stolen base. The former first-rounder has gone hitless in just two career at-bats against Williams.
Apr 17   
LEGEND
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