Pittsburgh Pirates News

Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes was named the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year on Monday evening. Skenes, last year's first overall pick out of LSU, debuted less than a year after being drafted and is a generational talent at the position. The 22-year-old went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA over 23 starts in 133 innings for the Pirates this year, and his 170 strikeouts were a franchise record. His ERA was the lowest for a rookie pitcher with at least 20 starts in the live-ball era (dating to 1920) and the lowest of any pitcher in 2024 with at least 130 innings. Skenes' fWAR was 10th among big-league pitchers, and he was also named one of the finalists for the NL Cy Young, joining lefty Chris Sale and right-hander Zack Wheeler. Skenes is already one of the most dominant pitchers in the sport and will be a highly-coveted fantasy ace in 2025.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have claimed outfielder Trey Cabbage off waivers, according to Ari Alexander of KPRC2. The 27-year-old appeared in only 47 games at the major league level in the Space City last season and held an underwhelming .209/.253/.337 slash line with just one home run and one stolen base. However, in Triple-A, he posted a solid .243/.351/.474 line with 13 home runs, 43 RBI, and 22 stolen bases. Fantasy managers should expect Cabbage to compete for the spot on the Opening Day Roster. However, he will face an uphill battle as he has not enjoyed consistent success in the big leagues.

Pittsburgh Pirates infield prospect Termarr Johnson (foot) was injured while playing in the Arizona Fall League on Tuesday night and had to be carried off the field while being unable to put any weight on his right foot. Johnson injured his foot swinging through a pitch. It's unclear exactly what the 20-year-old's injury is, but we should have an update on his status soon. Based on how the injury looked on the field, though, it wouldn't be a surprise if Johnson is shut down for the rest of the AFL season this fall. The former fourth overall pick in 2022 hit a combined .237/.367/.386 with a .753 OPS, 15 home runs, 54 RBI and 22 stolen bases in 124 games with High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona during the 2024 season. MLB Pipeline has him listed as Pittsburgh's No. 3 prospect. Depending on the severity of his injury, Johnson has a shot to make his MLB debut in 2025.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher was dominant in his short outing on Saturday and didn't allow a single runner on in his two innings of working during the Pirates' 9-4 win over the New York Yankees. Skenes finishes with a 1.96 ERA on the season with an 11-3 record and a strong case to win the National League Rookie of the Year award. The 22-year-old dazzled all season long and had 22 starts allowing just two ER or fewer. Fantasy managers of all leagues have been thrilled with his performance and he should certainly be a target to hold onto in keeper leagues. In 2025 he may experience some negative regression as his 1.96 ERA is paired with a 2.56 xERA, but his xERA still ranks in the 96th percentile. Should his numbers stay any bit similar to his 2024 season, and if he finishes the 2025 season healthy, he will contend for and likely win the Cy Young award.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitching prospect Mike Burrows is being promoted to the major league roster. In a corresponding move, the Pirates demoted right-hander Jared Jones to the Florida Complex League as he made his final start of the season on Friday evening. Burrows has spent the entire season at Triple-A Indianapolis and posted a 4.06 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, with a 15:45 BB:K ratio. The 24-year-old is not projected to start on Saturday or Sunday but could be deployed out of the bullpen over the weekend. Fantasy managers should expect Burrows to compete for a spot on the major league roster during spring training.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder/designated hitter Andrew McCutchen is out of the starting lineup on Saturday against the New York Yankees in the Bronx. With McCutchen out, Bryan Reynolds is serving as the DH and batting second, while Billy Cook makes the start in left field and is hitting in the nine-hole against Yankees right-hander Luis Gil. McCutchen could use a day off with the season about to wrap up, as he's gone hitless in his last 11 at-bats with four strikeouts in three games played. The five-time All-Star and former MVP is batting only .232 (104-for-448) in his 16th year in the league, but he has reached the 20-homer mark for the first time since 2021 and has provided 50 RBI in his 120 games played for the Bucs. Reynolds clubbed two homers at Yankee Stadium on Friday night and will be a popular DFS pick against Gil, even though he has never faced him in his career. Cook has gone 9-for-41 (.220) with two homers in his first 14 MLB games this year.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds went 2-for-3 with a pair of home runs -- one from each side of the plate for the switch-hitter -- in Friday's 4-2 win over the Yankees. The 29-year-old collected three RBI in the contest, walked once, and scored twice as well. The home runs ended a long 21-game homerless stretch and gave him 24 on the year. With two games to go, the 2x All-Star will finish with strikingly similar results for the fourth consecutive season, logging a .276-24-88-72-10 line with a .344 wOBA and 118 wRC+, making him one of the game's more reliable multi-category producers.

Pittsburgh Pirates infielder/outfielder Oneil Cruz and third baseman Jared Triolo are both out of the lineup for Friday's series finale against the New York Yankees in the Bronx. Billy Cook will get the start in center field and will bat in the nine-hole, with Isiah Kiner-Falefa manning third base and batting sixth against Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon. Kiner-Falefa has one hit in three career at-bats versus Rodon. The 25-year-old Cruz will get a day of rest against a southpaw pitcher. The Dominican has hit just .227 (32-for-141) against lefties this year with six of his 21 home runs on the season. Cruz recently made the full-time transition from shortstop to center field in Pittsburgh and has also reached the 20-20 milestone for the first time in 2024 in his fourth year in the big leagues. Cruz enters play on Friday slashing .263/.325/.456 with a .781 OPS, 21 homers, 76 RBI and 22 thefts in 143 games.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Joey Bart is out of the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers. The right-handed slugger will get a breather after starting in each of the last two games. In his absence, Yasmani Grandal will do the catching and bat seventh versus right-hander Freddy Peralta. Grandal is underachieving with the bat this season and isn't a viable fantasy option for Wednesday's slate. The expectation is Bart will be back in the lineup following Wednesday's game.

Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (back) is not expected to return during the final week of the season, according to Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pirates assistant general manager Kevan Graves said that the window for Hayes to return is "too short." Hayes finishes the 2024 campaign with a disappointing .233/.283/.290 slash line and just four home runs and 11 stolen bases. Fantasy managers should expect Jared Triolo to see the majority of starts at the hot corner during the final week of the season. Triolo is getting the starting nod on Sunday afternoon and will bat in the seven-hole against Cincinnati right-hander Hunter Greene.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder/designated hitter Andrew McCutchen will get a day of rest on Saturday at Great American Ball Park against the division-rival Cincinnati Reds. With McCutchen on the bench to start, Oneil Cruz will serve as the DH and bat third, while Billy Cook draws into the lineup in center field and will hit in the nine-hole against Reds rookie right-hander Rhett Lowder. Believe it or not, but McCutchen has returned to the 20-homer mark this year for the first time since 2021 at 37 years old. The former MVP is hitting .238 (102-for-429) through 115 games, though, and doesn't provide much else for fantasy managers these days. Cruz is a must-start in fantasy and just reached the 20-20 mark for the first time in his career by homering on Friday night. Cook will be playing in only his 10th MLB game on Saturday. He's gone 5-for-27 with a homer, double, five RBI and 12 K's through nine games.

Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Rowdy Tellez, catcher Joey Bart and infielder Jared Triolo are all on the bench for the start of Saturday's contest against the division-rival Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Connor Joe is manning first base and batting seventh, Yasmani Grandal is doing the catching and hitting sixth, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa is at third and hitting leadoff against Reds rookie right-hander Rhett Lowder. It will be the fifth time in the last 10 games that Tellez has found himself on the bench, as he has only two hits in his last 25 at-bats over nine games. Kiner-Falefa draws the most DFS intrigue on Saturday against a rookie hurler. Since coming over from the Blue Jays in a deadline trade this summer, IKF has hit .249 (45-for-181) for Pittsburgh with a homer, nine doubles, two triples, 10 RBI and seven stolen bases.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored in Friday's 8-3 loss to the Reds. The home run was his 20th of the year, giving the 25-year-old his first 20/20 season of his young career. Despite the achievement, Cruz is slashing just .196/.281/.357 in September after a hot August in which he slashed .389/.449/.537. Overall on the season, the Dominican has been productive even with a high strikeout rate (30.9%), putting together a .267-20-75-70-22 line over 138 games with a .336 wOBA and 113 wRC+, making him a solid multi-category contributor for fantasy.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop/outfielder Oneil Cruz (ankle) is starting in center field and is hitting third for the Bucs on Thursday against the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals and right-hander Erick Fedde at Busch Stadium. Cruz has been out of the starting lineup since Sunday, when he left the contest against the Kansas City Royals early due to discomfort in his left ankle. The 25-year-old's ankle injury was never considered to be serious, and he got a pinch-hit appearance in Tuesday's game. Cruz is fading down the stretch after just being moved to center field full time in Pittsburgh, but he's on the cusp of his first 20-20 season in his fourth year in the big leagues. In 14 games in September, he's gone 9-for-49 (.184) with a homer, three doubles, six RBI and 17 strikeouts in 56 plate appearances. In three career at-bats against Fedde, Cruz has a homer and one RBI.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop/outfielder Oneil Cruz (ankle) remains out of the team's starting lineup on Tuesday at Busch Stadium against the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals. Michael Taylor will man center field for the Bucs and will hit ninth against Cardinals right-handed veteran Lance Lynn. Cruz left Sunday's contest against the Kansas City Royals early with soreness in his left ankle and has missed the last two games as a result. For now, fantasy managers can continue to consider the 25-year-old day-to-day. The Pirates recently made the move to put Cruz in center field full time, which has allowed Nick Gonzalez to shift over to shortstop and the Bucs to recall infield prospect Nick Yorke. Taylor won't be very attractive as a DFS sleeper in the nine-hole, but he is hitting .294 in his career with an .804 OPS, a home run and an RBI in 17 career at-bats against Lynn.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes pitched well but took the loss in Monday's 4-0 game against the Cardinals. Skenes pitched six innings, allowing one run on four hits and a walk with seven strikeouts. Unfortunately, the Pirates could not provide any offensive support and were shut down by Andre Pallante. Regardless of the loss, the 22-year-old rookie has been outstanding this season. He is now 10-3 with a 2.07 ERA, a 0.98 WHIP, and an 11.29 K/9 rate in 21 starts and 126 IP. His next matchup will be on the road at the Reds. While the ballpark is not favorable, Skenes has proven to be a top fantasy pitcher in any matchup.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen is absent from the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. The veteran slugger has started in six of the last seven contests. That being said, it's not shocking to see McCutchen getting a rest day with the Pirates having little incentive to win with their season basically over. In his place, Joey Bart will serve as the designated hitter and bat third versus right-hander Andre Pallante. Bart is in the middle of a breakout season with a .267 batting average and 13 home runs with 43 RBI in 71 games this season. He has a favorable matchup here for fantasy managers looking for a streaming option or DFS help.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz (ankle) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. This comes as little surprise after Cruz was forced to exit early during Sunday's game due to an ankle issue. It's the same ankle that Cruz fractured last season, so the Pirates aren't taking any chances. For now, Cruz is considered as day-to-day, so hopefully he'll be back in the lineup later this week. In the meantime, Billy Cook will cover center field and bat ninth versus right-hander Andre Pallante. Cook has been quiet with the bat during his brief time in the MLB and can be avoided as a streaming option.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are calling up infield prospect Nick Yorke from Triple-A Indianapolis to the big leagues on Monday, according to sources. Yorke is with the team in St. Louis for their series against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium to begin the week. The 22-year-old was acquired by the Bucs from the Boston Red Sox at the end of July in the trade that sent pitcher Quinn Priester to Boston. Per MLB Pipeline, he's considered Pittsburgh's No. 6 prospect. The former first-rounder has hit a combined .303/.385/.449 with an .834 OPS, 12 homers, 72 RBI and 21 stolen bases in 123 games with Double-A Portland, Triple-A Worcester and Indianapolis this year to earn his first big-league call-up. With experience at second base, third, shortstop and the outfield, Yorke should play regularly down the stretch in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (ankle) left early during Sunday's game against the Kansas City Royals. Cruz left the game after slipping in the outfield, but is considered as day-to-day. Manager Derek Shelton said Cruz was pulled for precautionary reasons and is dealing with ankle discomfort. This sounds like a day-to-day type of issue that shouldn't require a trip to the injured list. Cruz is still getting comfortable with his new spot in the outfield, but the Pirates want to see him out there long term. Michael A. Taylor replaced Cruz in center field on Sunday. Taylor will likely see more time out there until Cruz is back, but he doesn't offer much value with his .190 batting average.