3 HOURS AGO ? POST-GAZETTE.COM
PITTSBURGH PIRATES
62-100 · 2022 4TH IN NL CENTRAL
World Baseball Classic version of Duane Underwood Jr. could be an important addition for Pirates Duane Underwood Jr. looked really good at the World Baseball Classic. What if the Pirates are getting this version of him?
Connor Joe - Versatility helps roster chances Joe could make the Pirates' Opening Day roster due to his ability to serve as a fourth outfielder as well as a backup first baseman, Kevin Gorman of Pittsburgh Tribune-Live reports...
Impact Joe earned a career-high 467 plate appearances in 2022, the majority of which came at the corner outfield spots. He also appeared at first base for 21 games. Even with that versatility, his fit in Pittsburgh is unclear as the Pirates also brought in Andrew McCutchen, Carlos Santana and Ji-Man Choi over the winter. Despite perhaps facing long odds for a significant role, Joe has helped his case this spring by putting together a respectable .258/.324/.387 line with five extra-base hits across 31 at-bats in the Grapefruit League.
7 HOURS AGO ? ROTOWIRE
With 2 new pitches, Holderman out to pump gas for Pirates SARASOTA, Fla. -- There are plenty of people throughout the Pirates’ organization who are excited to witness Colin Holderman’s sophomore sea...
15 HOURS AGO ? MLB.COM
Nick Gonzales - Moves to minor-league camp Gonzales was reassigned to minor-league camp Sunday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.
Impact Gonzales is one of the Pirates' top prospects and had a strong showing in big-league camp with a 1.004 OPS in 16 contests. He spent most of 2022 at Double-A Altoona and had a .263/.383/.429 slash line, so he should move up to Triple-A Indianapolis this year.
16 HOURS AGO ? ROTOWIRE
Cal Mitchell - Off Opening Day roster Mitchell was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.
Impact Mitchell played in 69 games during his first taste of the big leagues last year and had a .226/.286/.349 slash line with five home runs and three steals. He won't open 2023 on the MLB roster, with Bryan Reynolds, Jack Suwinski and Andrew McCutchen (elbow) poised to operate as the Pirates' primary outfielders.
17 HOURS AGO ? ROTOWIRE
Vince Velasquez struggles, offense quiet in Pirates' lopsided loss to Orioles SARASOTA, Fla. — The offensive resurgence the Pirates enjoyed over the past three spring training games came to a screeching halt. Meanwhile...
17 HOURS AGO ? POST-GAZETTE.COM
Carlos Santana - Rejoins lineup Sunday Santana (knee) is starting at first base and batting cleanup in Sunday's spring game versus the Orioles.
Impact Santana exited Thursday's Grapefruit League game with left knee discomfort, but he's back in the lineup Sunday after requiring only a couple days off. The veteran slugger had a .692 OPS in 131 games last year, and he is expected to split playing time between first base and designated hitter with Ji-Man Choi this season.
1 DAY AGO ? ROTOWIRE
Analysis: With spring training winding down, Pirates have had competition … but little clarity The Pirates arrived in Florida knowing they would need to figure some things out. With 10 days to go, there’s still a lot left.
1 DAY AGO ? POST-GAZETTE.COM
Mitch Keller - Rolls through Twins Keller allowed one earned run on three hits and no walks while striking out seven across 4.2 innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins.
Impact Keller has done a good job of limiting runs for much of spring training, though he showcased strikeout upside with his performance Saturday. Through 329.1 career innings in the majors, Keller has a 21.1 percent strikeout rate, so it's worth keeping a spring training performance in context. However, he closed the 2022 campaign in strong form and will be given every opportunity to lead Pittsburgh's rotation in 2023.
1 DAY AGO ? ROTOWIRE
'Huge emotion': Pirates pitchers Roansy Contreras, Luis Ortiz reflect on World Baseball Classic Pirates pitchers Roansy Contreras and Luis Ortiz learned plenty during their trip to the World Baseball Classic.
1 DAY AGO ? POST-GAZETTE.COM
Canaan Smith-Njigba - Battling for roster spot Smith-Njigba has gone 7-for-27 (.259) with two home runs and four walks during Grapefruit League action.
Impact Smith-Njigba has shown off his power of late, as he homered for the second time in his last three games Friday against the Rays. He cleared the wall an additional time earlier in spring training but due to a baserunning blunder, he was only credited with a single. Regardless of his exact stats, Smith-Njigba has been impressive this spring as he seeks to earn a roster spot as a reserve outfielder ahead of the likes of Cal Mitchell and Travis Swaggerty.
2 DAYS AGO ? ROTOWIRE
Tyler Samaniego - Experiencing shoulder cramp Samaniego is dealing with cramping in his left shoulder, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
Impact Samaniego had to exit a Grapefruit League appearance Thursday due to the injury. It's unclear at this point how long he might be out, but if it's indeed just cramping it shouldn't be too lengthy of an absence.
2 DAYS AGO ? ROTOWIRE
Carlos Santana - Goes through full workout Santana (knee) was able to go through a full workout Friday, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
Impact Santana had to depart Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees due to left knee discomfort, but it sounds like he'll be fine. Expect the veteran first baseman/designated hitter to return to action within a few days.
2 DAYS AGO ? ROTOWIRE
Gerrit Cole is a fan of Mitch Keller … and how Pirates have changed their pitching philosophy Gerrit Cole is thrilled to see how far Mitch Keller has come. He also shared some revealing information on the Pirates’ pitching changes.
3 DAYS AGO ? POST-GAZETTE.COM
Spring outliers? A deep dive into some intriguing Bucs numbers TAMPA, Fla. -- Spring Training is all about the allure of small sample sizes. A good chunk of numbers are outliers and won’t stick during th...
3 DAYS AGO ? MLB.COM
Clarke Schmidt's perfect start wasted as Yankees fall to Pirates The New York Yankees defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in a Grapefruit League game at Steinbrenner Field on Thursday night.
3 DAYS AGO ? NJ.COM
Pirates survive injury scary to Carlos Santana, use late surge to top Yankees The Pirates did nothing for five innings, then their bats finally erupted behind Drew Maggi, Carter Bins, Travis Swaggerty and others.
3 DAYS AGO ? POST-GAZETTE.COM
Tyler Samaniego - Suffers apparent injury Samaniego exited Thursday's Grapefruit League game with an apparent injury, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
Impact Samaniego was in big-league spring training for the first time in his career and had a mixed level of success over three outings. He had an impressive 2022 campaign with Double-A Altoona, maintaining a 3.52 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 23:9 K:BB across 30.2 frames. If the injury proves to be minor, Samaniego is a candidate to earn some innings out of Pittsburgh's bullpen in 2023.
3 DAYS AGO ? ROTOWIRE
Carlos Santana - Suffering from knee discomfort Santana was removed from Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees due to left knee discomfort, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.
Impact Santana slipped on the infield grass while attempting to field a flyball and was removed from the game immediately. He's still undergoing testing on the injury, so it's unclear if he'll be forced to miss additional time. If Santana misses any regular-season contests, Connor Joe is a potential beneficiary.
3 DAYS AGO ? ROTOWIRE
JT Brubaker - Racking up strikeouts Brubaker has allowed eight earned runs to go along with 20 strikeouts and three walks across 12.1 innings in Grapefruit League action.
Impact Brubaker has an ugly 5.84 ERA in the exhibition season, but he has shown impressive strikeout stuff. He has a mediocre 23.3 percent strikeout rate across 315.2 career innings in the majors and has been primarily reliant upon groundballs to get outs, so it's not clear where his uptick in strikeouts is coming from. In his most recent outing Wednesday against Toronto, Brubaker punched out the likes of Whit Merrifield, Bo Bichette and Alejandro Kirk.
3 DAYS AGO ? ROTOWIRE
Carlos Santana - Exits game early Santana exited the Pirates' game against the Yankees on Thursday after slipping on the infield grass trying to catch a pop-up, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
Impact Santana appeared to be in quite a bit of pain as a trainer helped him off the field. The Pirates will take a look at him and should provide additional updates shortly.
3 DAYS AGO ? ROTOWIRE
Pirates to open without offseason bullpen addition Jarlin Garcia, out with a nerve injury TAMPA, Fla. — Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk offered some news on left-handed reliever Jarlin Garcia on Thursday. As expec...
3 DAYS AGO ? POST-GAZETTE.COM
Robert Stephenson - Feels good after live BP Stephenson (elbow) felt good Thursday after throwing live batting practice Wednesday, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
Impact Stephenson is likely to log one more live BP session before perhaps then making his Grapefruit League debut. The 30-year-old right-hander is still hoping to be ready for Opening Day as he works past a bout of minor elbow discomfort.
3 DAYS AGO ? ROTOWIRE
Andrew McCutchen - Sidelined with sore elbow McCutchen was sidelined Thursday in Pirates camp due to minor right elbow soreness, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
Impact It's not believed to be anything serious, but Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said the team will "take it very slow with Andrew." He'll probably spend the weekend getting rest and treatment before a reevaluation of the situation early next week.
3 DAYS AGO ? ROTOWIRE
Dariel Lopez - Out for season Lopez will miss the entire 2023 season after dislocating his knee, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.
Impact The 21-year-old infielder slashed .286/.329/.474 in High-A ball last season and was likely to begin the season with Double-A Altoona, but he will now have to wait another season to get that opportunity.
3 DAYS AGO ? ROTOWIRE
