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Endy Rodriguez Endy Rodriguez Racks up season-high four RBI
Mon, Jun 29, 2026, 10:29 PM
Rodriguez went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run, two walks and an additional RBI in Monday's 11-7 win over the Phillies.
Analysis: Rodriguez piled up a season-high RBI in his eighth multi-hit game of the season. The 25-year-old backstop has soundly outproduced Henry Davis as Pittsburgh's top catcher, and his stay atop the depth chart was solidified when the Pirates traded away Joey Bart earlier in June. Since being recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis, Rodriguez is slashing .271/.404/.482 with four big flies, six doubles, 15 RBI and two stolen bases over 105 plate appearances. |
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Braxton Ashcraft Braxton Ashcraft Nabs eighth win
Mon, Jun 29, 2026, 10:10 PM
Ashcraft (8-3) earned the win Monday against the Phillies, allowing five runs on five hits and one walk in six innings. He struck out eight.
Analysis: Ashcraft was hit pretty hard, serving up a season-high three home runs, but he lasted long enough to turn in his third consecutive start with at least six innings. The 26-year-old right-hander has been mostly dependable in 2026 in spite of Monday's hiccup, giving up two runs or fewer in 13 of his 17 outings while working at least five frames in all but one. Ashcraft will take a 3.33 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 115:23 K:BB over 102.2 innings into his next scheduled appearance against an upstart Nationals lineup. |
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Mike Clevinger Mike Clevinger Returns from IL
Mon, Jun 29, 2026, 8:08 PM
Clevinger (knee) was activated from the 7-day injured list Sunday.
Analysis: Clevinger landed on the injured list April 13 due to a right MCL sprain. He's since completed a rehab stint in the Florida Complex League, and it didn't take long to find his way into a game at Triple-A Indianapolis, where he allowed one hit and struck out two across a scoreless frame Sunday against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. |
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Nick Gonzales Nick Gonzales Not in Monday's lineup
Mon, Jun 29, 2026, 4:32 PM
Gonzales is not in the Pirates' starting lineup against the Phillies on Monday.
Analysis: The Pirates will role with the lefty-hitting Tyler Callihan at third base, who will bat seventh and face Phillies' right-hander Aaron Nola in Monday's series opener. Gonzales has reached base safely in six of his last seven games, going 9-for-24 (.375) with one home run, two RBI and six runs scored in that span. |
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Ryan O'Hearn Ryan O'Hearn Homers twice in win
Sun, Jun 28, 2026, 6:17 PM
O'Hearn went 3-for-5 with two homers, an additional run scored and four total RBI in Sunday's 9-4 win over the Reds.
Analysis: O'Hearn put the Pirates ahead 5-4 with a 421-foot blast off Brady Singer in the fifth inning before extending the lead to 8-4 with his second home run, a three-run shot off Pierce Johnson in the eighth. Prior to Sunday, O'Hearn had homered just once in his previous 16 games. Overall, he's slashing .286/.342/.479 with 13 homers, 50 RBI and 38 runs scored across 284 plate appearances this season. |
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Mitch Keller Mitch Keller Earns sixth win
Sun, Jun 28, 2026, 6:08 PM
Keller (6-5) earned the win Sunday over the Reds, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out four.
Analysis: The win is the first since May 24 for Keller, who had struggled to an 8.25 ERA across 24 innings in his previous five starts. Overall, the right-hander sports a 4.87 ERA with a 1.30 WHIP and 73:33 K:BB through 17 starts (94.1 innings) this season. Keller is currently in line to face the Nationals on the road in his next outing. |
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Spencer Horwitz Spencer Horwitz Eyeing return after All-Star break
Sun, Jun 28, 2026, 12:28 PM
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that Horwitz (hamstring) will remain sidelined for "weeks, not days," and the first baseman isn't expected to return from the 10-day injured list until after the All-Star break, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Analysis: Pittsburgh placed Horwitz on the shelf Thursday, and Cherington's comments imply that the 28-year-old is dealing with more than a mild strain of his left hamstring. Ryan O'Hearn will make a fourth consecutive start at first base Sunday and should serve as the primary option at the position until at least mid-July. Before getting hurt, Horwitz had settled in as the Pirates' leadoff hitter and had slashed .280/.386/.455 with a 40:40 BB:K, 10 home runs, 33 RBI and 36 runs on the season. |
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Oneil Cruz Oneil Cruz Out through All-Star break
Sun, Jun 28, 2026, 12:21 PM
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that he expects Cruz (hand) to return from the 10-day injured list at some point in July, most likely after the All-Star break, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Analysis: The timeline laid out by Cherington isn't an unexpected one, after the GM had previously said June 14 that Cruz was likely to need 4-to-6 weeks to recover from non-displaced fourth and fifth metacarpal fractures in his left hand. Cruz has made positive strides in his recovery over the past two weeks and is scheduled to report to the Pirates' facility in Florida this week to accelerate his baseball activities. |
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Jared Triolo Jared Triolo Utility role likely awaits
Sun, Jun 28, 2026, 11:46 AM
Triolo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds.
Analysis: Triolo's streak of 10 consecutive starts will come to an end Sunday while he retreats to the bench for the series finale. After Konnor Griffin returned from the injured list Friday, Triolo appears likely to move into a utility role in the infield and is expected to notice a dramatic decline in playing time. |
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Henry Davis Henry Davis Getting third start in four games
Sun, Jun 28, 2026, 11:44 AM
Davis will start at catcher and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Reds.
Analysis: Davis will claim his third start in four games after going 2-for-5 with a home run, a double, two RBI and two additional runs in his previous three contests. He looks to have worked his way into a timeshare at catcher with Endy Rodriguez, who has been the far better performer of the two backstops through the halfway point of the season. |
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Endy Rodriguez Endy Rodriguez On bench Sunday
Sun, Jun 28, 2026, 11:42 AM
Rodriguez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds.
Analysis: Rodriguez is on the bench for the third time in four games and looks to be part of a timeshare at catcher with Henry Davis. The 26-year-old has been the far better producer of the two backstops this season, submitting an .823 OPS in 99 plate appearances with the Pirates. Davis, meanwhile, has delivered a .558 OPS over 157 plate appearances. |
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Brandon Lowe Brandon Lowe Reaches 20 homers in loss
Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 7:49 PM
Lowe went 1-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in Saturday's 9-7 loss to the Reds.
Analysis: Lowe gave the Pirates an early lead with a three-run blast in the third inning before adding a sacrifice fly in the seventh. The 30-year-old has hit safely in 10 of his past 11 contests, tallying six extra-base hits, 10 RBI and eight runs scored during that stretch. On the year, he's slashing .246/.320/.515 with 20 homers, 56 RBI and 51 runs scored across 341 plate appearances. |
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Jared Jones Jared Jones Exceeds 80 pitches in no-decision
Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 7:45 PM
Jones did not factor into the decision in Saturday's 9-7 loss to the Reds, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits and one walk with four strikeouts over 4.2 innings.
Analysis: Jones allowed runs in three separate frames but posted his highest pitch count of the season, throwing 52 of 81 pitches for strikes with 12 whiffs. Although none of his six outings have exceeded five innings, the 24-year-old has yielded three earned runs or fewer four times as he continues to get stretched out. He'll carry a 5.76 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 25:9 K across 25 frames this season into a road matchup with the Phillies next week. |
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Gregory Soto Gregory Soto Blows save, takes loss Saturday
Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 7:23 PM
Soto (4-2) blew a save and took the loss against the Reds on Saturday, allowing three runs on two hits and two walks with one strikeout in the ninth inning.
Analysis: Soto was summoned to protect a one-run lead in the ninth inning and surrendered a go-ahead three-run homer with two outs. It continued a rough June for the 31-year-old, who's yielded runs in four of eight outings and owns a 12.15 ERA for the month. On the year, he's 11-for-15 in save chances with a 3.93 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 40:15 K:BB across 34.1 innings. |
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Konnor Griffin Konnor Griffin Idle Saturday
Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 1:32 PM
Griffin isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Reds.
Analysis: Griffin went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and a hit-by-pitch during his first game back from the injured list Friday, but he'll take a seat Saturday while the Pirates look to manage his workload. Jared Triolo will fill in at shortstop and bat ninth. |
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Konnor Griffin Konnor Griffin Goes yard in return to lineup
Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 9:05 AM
Griffin went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 6-4 loss to the Reds.
Analysis: Activated from the IL earlier in the day after missing nearly a month due to a flexor strain, Griffin quickly demonstrated that he was fully recovered when he crushed the second pitch he saw from Andrew Abbott over the fence in left-center field. The precocious shortstop is slashing .275/.333/.420 through his first 52 big-league games with five homers, 14 steals, 23 RBI and 31 runs. |
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Paul Skenes Paul Skenes Fans seven in Friday's no-decision
Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 9:01 AM
Skenes came away with a no-decision Friday, giving up four runs on six hits and two walks over five innings as the Pirates fell 6-4 to the Reds. He struck out seven.
Analysis: All four runs against the right-hander came in a rough second inning that saw the first five Cincinnati hitters reach base before Skenes finally recorded outs on back-to-back sacrifice flies. It's the first time since May 23 that Skenes has been tagged for more than two earned runs, and through five starts in June he's delivered a 3.58 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 39:8 K:BB through 27.2 innings. He'll look for his first win since May 12 in his next outing, which lines up to come on the road next week in Philadelphia. |
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Endy Rodriguez Endy Rodriguez Out of lineup again Friday
Fri, Jun 26, 2026, 1:55 PM
Rodriguez is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Reds.
Analysis: After making three straight starts at catcher, Rodriguez is now on the bench for the second game in a row. Henry Davis will be behind the dish and bat ninth for the Pirates. |
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Nick Gonzales Nick Gonzales Getting rare breather
Fri, Jun 26, 2026, 1:53 PM
Gonzales is not in the lineup for Friday's contest versus the Reds.
Analysis: It's the first time since May 21 that Gonzales has been out of the Pirates' lineup. Jared Triolo will cover third base in the series opener. |
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Jack Brannigan Jack Brannigan Goes back to Double-A
Fri, Jun 26, 2026, 1:20 PM
The Pirates optioned Brannigan to Double-A Altoona on Friday.
Analysis: Brannigan was on the major-league roster for just one day and did not play in Thursday's win over the Mariners. The 25-year-old has slashed .235/.333/.522 with eight homers in 31 contests during his time with Altoona in 2026. |
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