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Wilber Dotel Wilber Dotel Completes side session
Sun, Jun 21, 2026, 7:49 PM
Dotel (lat) tossed a bullpen session Saturday, MLB.com reports.
Analysis: According to general manager Ben Cherington, Dotel's fastball sat around 96 mph during the session, just a couple ticks behind his season-long average (98.2). The Pirates placed Dotel on the 15-day injured list June 13 due to a right lat strain, but he looks on track to avoid an extended absence and could be ready to rejoin the Pittsburgh bullpen by late June. |
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Hunter Barco Hunter Barco Nursing arm injury
Sun, Jun 21, 2026, 7:45 PM
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said that Barco was removed from his last start Friday at Triple-A Indianapolis due to an apparent left elbow or triceps injury, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Analysis: Barco is scheduled to meet with Pirates team doctors Monday, at which time a formal diagnosis for his injury should be made. The 25-year-old lefty has posted a 5.46 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and 39:16 K:BB over 31.1 innings in nine appearances at Triple-A since being demoted April 29. |
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Jake Mangum Jake Mangum Three-hit effort Sunday
Sun, Jun 21, 2026, 6:34 PM
Mangum went 3-for-4 with a double, one RBI and one run scored in Sunday's 8-6 win over the Rockies.
Analysis: Mangum logged his fifth multi-hit effort over 17 games in June. He's batting .375 (21-for-56) this month, though his only extra-base hits are five doubles. The outfielder has taken over a strong-side platoon role in center field in the absence of Oneil Cruz (hand), but Mangum is also regularly hitting in the bottom third of the order, which limits his upside a bit. On the season, Mangum is batting .306 with a .722 OPS, one home run, 13 RBI, 21 runs scored, seven doubles and 13 stolen bases over 176 plate appearances. |
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Nick Gonzales Nick Gonzales Hits third homer
Sun, Jun 21, 2026, 6:30 PM
Gonzales went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a second run scored in Sunday's 8-6 win over the Rockies.
Analysis: Gonzales got the Pirates on the board when he took Michael Lorenzen deep in the fourth inning. This was Gonzales' second multi-hit effort in his last four games. The infielder is batting .293 on the year, adding a .716 OPS, three homers, 35 RBI, 40 runs scored, four stolen bases, 11 doubles and a triple over 72 contests. He continues to occupy a near-everyday role in the lineup, primarily at third base, as he trends toward a career year. |
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Bryan Reynolds Bryan Reynolds Blasts three-run homer
Sun, Jun 21, 2026, 6:27 PM
Reynolds went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run, a double and two total runs scored in Sunday's 8-6 win over the Rockies.
Analysis: Reynolds has hit safely in his last 12 games, going 19-for-47 (.404) with five homers and 12 RBI in that span. The outfielder's blast in the seventh inning gave the Pirates some necessary insurance, as the Rockies rallied over the last two frames but couldn't catch up. Reynolds is now hitting .287 with an .884 OPS, 11 homers, 51 RBI, 52 runs scored, five stolen bases, 18 doubles and two triples across 78 contests this season in a strong bounce-back campaign. |
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Jared Jones Jared Jones Initial images clean
Sun, Jun 21, 2026, 4:47 PM
Jones (elbow) underwent imaging, which came back negative, Sunday in Colorado.
Analysis: Jones was struck in the right elbow by a line drive and exited Sunday's contest against the Rockies following the conclusion of the third inning. The team had the 24-year-old undergo initial imaging in Colorado, and at the moment, it appears as if he has avoided a significant injury. Jones is expected to be reexamined by the medical staff in Pittsburgh on Monday, and he can be considered day-to-day for the time being. |
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Jared Jones Jared Jones Exits after taking liner to elbow
Sun, Jun 21, 2026, 3:36 PM
Jones was lifted from his start Sunday against the Rockies after being struck in the right elbow by an 87.9-mph line drive off the bat of TJ Rumfield, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Analysis: The Pirates were able to record an inning-ending out on the play in question, resulting in Jones finishing his day with three strikeouts and one run allowed on one hit and two walks across three frames. Jones was making his fifth start of the season for Pittsburgh on Sunday after completing his recovery from May 2025 UCL repair surgery on his right elbow. While it's less than ideal that the same elbow was struck by a comebacker, Jones should be able to steer clear of an extended absence so long as he was able to avoid a fracture. He's currently being evaluated by the Pirates' medical staff, and the team should have an update on his status later Sunday. |
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Konnor Griffin Konnor Griffin Approaching rehab assignment
Sun, Jun 21, 2026, 1:42 PM
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that he expects Griffin (forearm) to play in minor-league rehab games by the end of the week, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Analysis: Griffin has been rehabbing in Florida since landing on the shelf May 31 due to a right forearm strain, but he's expected to head north to Pittsburgh for an evaluation early this week before linking up with a minor-league affiliate. Throwing at full strength and velocity seems to be the biggest concern for Griffin as he works his way back from the injury, and the rookie phenom appears to be making progress on that front. Per MLB.com, Pirates manager Don Kelly said Saturday that Griffin has extended his throwing distance to 150 feet and was clocked at 89 mph while throwing from third base to first. |
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Paul Skenes Paul Skenes Unfortunate again in loss
Sat, Jun 20, 2026, 11:27 PM
Skenes (6-7) took the loss against Colorado on Saturday, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out eight batters over six innings.
Analysis: Skenes had a frustrating beginning to his outing, as a Jake McCarthy liner to the outfield was poorly played by Pittsburgh's defense and ended up as an inside-the-park home run. Beyond that, Skenes gave up just one other run and racked up 19 whiffs along with eight punchouts, but he was saddled with the loss as a result of the Pirates' offense managing only one run in the Colorado altitude. Skenes is 0-5 over his past seven outings, but he has three quality starts and an impressive 51:11 K:BB across 38 innings during that span. The star hurler will look to get back into the win column the next time he takes the mound, which lines up to be a home matchup against Cincinnati. |
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Bryan Reynolds Bryan Reynolds Back in lineup Saturday
Sat, Jun 20, 2026, 6:52 PM
Reynolds (groin) will start in left field and bat third in Saturday's game against the Rockies.
Analysis: Reynolds was scratched from the lineup for Friday's game due to left groin discomfort, though he ended up coming off the bench and delivering an RBI single in his lone plate appearance. Now cleared to return to the starting nine, Reynolds will look continue building his case for a third career All-Star selection. |
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Bubba Chandler Bubba Chandler Posts quality start in no-decision
Sat, Jun 20, 2026, 8:32 AM
Chandler didn't factor into the decision Friday against the Rockies after tossing six innings of two-run ball, allowing six hits and walking two while striking out one.
Analysis: Chandler recorded a quality start for the first time since April 17, and this was just the second time all season that he's pitched six complete frames. He seems to be trending in the right direction. After posting a 4.70 ERA across five outings and 23 innings in May, Chandler has given up two earned runs in each of his last three starts and owns a 4.09 ERA in four starts (22 innings) in June. He's slated to make his next start at home against the Mariners. |
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Mason Montgomery Mason Montgomery Tagged with blown save, loss
Sat, Jun 20, 2026, 8:28 AM
Montgomery (2-2) was tagged with the loss and his second blown save of the season Friday against the Rockies. He allowed two runs on three hits over two-thirds of an inning, striking out one.
Analysis: Montgomery entered the game with the Pirates holding a 3-2 lead and one out in the bottom of the eighth inning. He retired TJ Rumfield with a groundout, but back-to-back singles from Tyler Freeman and Cole Carrigg set up Braxton Fulford, who gave the Rockies the lead with the game-winning hit -- a two-run double on a line drive to center. Montgomery then struck out Ezequiel Tovar, but the damage was already done. The 26-year-old southpaw has been inconsistent of late. He was on a run of four consecutive scoreless outings before this game, but he's also given up multiple runs in three of his last seven appearances. He has a 7.94 ERA and 2.29 WHIP across six outings (5.2 innings) since the beginning of June. |
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Bryan Reynolds Bryan Reynolds Scratched with groin issue
Fri, Jun 19, 2026, 7:12 PM
Reynolds was scratched from the lineup for Friday's game against the Rockies due to left groin discomfort, Manny Randhawa of MLB.com reports.
Analysis: Reynolds has been scorching hot at the plate recently, slashing .405/.463/.838 with four homers, eight RBI and eight runs across his last nine games, but a groin injury will prevent him from starting Friday. While he takes a day off to heal, Esmerlyn Valdez will enter the lineup to start in left field. |
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Hunter Stratton Hunter Stratton Shipped to Pittsburgh
Thu, Jun 18, 2026, 10:31 PM
The Pirates acquired Stratton from Atlanta on Thursday in exchange for Joey Bart.
Analysis: Atlanta DFA'd Stratton on Wednesday and quickly found a trade partner for the 29-year-old right-hander. Stratton was originally a Pirates draft pick in 2017 and spent the better part of nine seasons with the organization before he was dealt to Atlanta last summer. Across 60 career big-league appearances, Stratton owns a 3.75 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 60:17 K:BB across 69.2 innings. |
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Brandon Lowe Brandon Lowe Smacks game-winning homer
Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 2:14 AM
Lowe went 1-for-5 with a solo home run Tuesday against the A's.
Analysis: Lowe struck out in three of his first four plate appearances, though he managed to erase that ugly start to his day by blasting a go-ahead home run in the ninth inning. That marked his 18th long ball of the season and fourth in his last seven starts. While Lowe's power production remains very strong, he has struck out at a 32.3 percent clip while hitting only .161 across 14 games since the start of June. |
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Endy Rodriguez Endy Rodriguez Goes deep in three-hit performance
Tue, Jun 16, 2026, 2:19 AM
Rodriguez went 3-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Monday's loss to the Athletics.
Analysis: Rodriguez was a bright spot in the loss, blasting a solo homer in the eighth inning to cap off his first three-hit effort of the campaign. The 26-year-old struggled in previous big-league stints in 2023 and 2025 but has looked much more comfortable this time around, slashing .268/.423/.482 with three homers, three doubles, seven RBI, 10 runs and two stolen bases across 72 plate appearances since being recalled in mid-May. Joey Bart (foot) is currently on a rehab assignment and should return to the active roster soon, but Rodriguez has performed well enough to retain a share of the playing time behind the dish even after Bart is activated. |
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Paul Skenes Paul Skenes Fans 10 in tough-luck loss
Sun, Jun 14, 2026, 6:29 PM
Skenes (6-6) took the loss Sunday against the Marlins, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk in six innings. He struck out 10.
Analysis: Skenes was mostly dominant Sunday, recording a staggering 23 whiffs, but Miami did manage to tag him for a pair of solo home runs. The All-Star right-hander fanned double-digit hitters for the third time this year, and it was the seventh time that he spun six innings while yielding two runs or fewer. Skenes has a superb 2.85 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 99:16 K:BB across 82 innings, but he's set to face a tough test in Colorado his next time out. |
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Oneil Cruz Oneil Cruz Facing 4-to-6-week timeline
Sun, Jun 14, 2026, 10:35 AM
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that Cruz (hand) is facing an estimated recovery timeline of 4-to-6 weeks, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.
Analysis: Pittsburgh moved Cruz to the 10-day injured list Wednesday after he was diagnosed with non-displaced fourth and fifth metacarpal fractures in his left hand, with the injury stemming from a hard slide in Atlanta last weekend. While Cruz appears likely to avoid surgery on his hand, he'll still need to wait for the fractured bones to heal before he resumes baseball activities. Given the timeline laid out by Cherington, it wouldn't be surprising if the Pirates opted to hold Cruz out through the All-Star break in mid-July with the hope that the 27-year-old outfielder is ready to go for the start of their second-half schedule. |
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Tyler Callihan Tyler Callihan Solidifying regular role
Sun, Jun 14, 2026, 10:27 AM
Callihan will start in right field and bat sixth in Sunday's game against the Marlins.
Analysis: The left-handed-hitting Callihan will stick in the lineup for the sixth time in eight games, with both of his absences during that stretch coming against left-handed pitchers. While Oneil Cruz (hand) is on the shelf, the Pirates should have a strong-side platoon role available in the outfield for Callihan so long as he continues to perform well. Callihan has been sizzling at the dish since his May 28 call-up from Triple-A Indianapolis, going 7-for-20 (.350 average) with five extra-base hits, a stolen base and a 6:6 BB:K over 10 games. |
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Endy Rodriguez Endy Rodriguez Resting for series finale
Sun, Jun 14, 2026, 10:22 AM
Rodriguez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.
Analysis: Rodriguez will take a seat for Sunday's matinee game after he started behind the plate in three of the Bucs' previous four contests. Henry Davis will handle catching duties in the series finale. |
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