Pittsburgh Pirates: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

Rangers Done? Pirates Made Right Call With Andrew McCutchen

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates made a tough decision to part ways with a franchise legend this past offseason and it clearly ended up being the right one.

Features

The Morning Bark

The Quiz of the Day

Andrew McCutchen's resume may not be enough for Hall of Fame

The Texas Rangers designated Andrew McCutchen for assignment on Wednesday afternoon, ending what has been a disappointing two-month run to open the season.

Andrew McCutchen designated for assignment by Rangers

Trio of Astros pitchers combine to make history in win over Rangers

Rangers offense reaches rock bottom in no-hit loss to Astros

Rangers’ payback against the Astros reached a historic level

The 'Last 200-K pitcher by MLB team' quiz

Pittsburgh Pirates News / Pittsburgh Pirates on SI / May 27

Pirates Show Trust in New Leadoff Hitter vs. Cubs

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have gone with different players in the leadoff role, but one player is sticking out in that regard. First baseman Spencer Horwitz will lead off for the Pirates, as they host the Chicago Cubs for the third time in a four-game series at PNC Park on May 27.

Pittsburgh Pirates News / Pittsburgh Pirates on SI / May 27

Pirates Doing Something They Haven't Since 1940

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have had an excellent season, particularly from the plate, as they're maintaining impressive production so far. The Pirates have scored 270 runs this season, ranking fifth-most in baseball and giving them an average of 4.91 runs per game, or five runs per game, to round it up to the nearest whole number.

Gerrit Cole News / Yardbarker Quizzes

The 'ERA leaders since 2003' quiz

How many ERA leaders from both leagues since the 2003 season can you name in five minutes?

Esmerlyn Valdez News / Bucs Dugout / May 27

Esmerlyn Valdez off to a promising start for Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates offense caught fire Tuesday night after a 12-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs. One of the bigger storylines from that game is rookie Esmerlyn Valdez hitting his second home run of the season in just his fourth game played.

MLB News / Yardbarker

The 25 greatest rookie seasons in MLB history

Not every all-timer has instant success at the next level. For many baseball players, it takes a few bumps in the road out of the gate before they ever reach stardom.

Pittsburgh Pirates News / Pittsburgh Pirates on SI / May 27

Which Pirates Rookies Stick Around Remainder of the Season?

PITTSBURGH — Rookies aren't normally the most important part of a team's success, but they've been massively important for the Pittsburgh Pirates this season.

Spencer Horwitz News / Just Baseball / May 27

Spencer Horwitz Is an Underrated Talent on the Pirates

Back on December 10, 2024, the Toronto Blue Jays made a blockbuster move to acquire Andrés Giménez from the Cleveland Guardians for a pair of prospects.

Bubba Chandler News / Field Level Media / May 27

Pirates' Bubba Chandler aims to stop slide vs. reeling Cubs

The Chicago Cubs are in the midst of their longest losing streak in nearly four years. Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Bubba Chandler has lost his past four decisions.

Braxton Ashcraft News / Pittsburgh Pirates on SI / May 27

Braxton Ashcraft Giving Pirates Reason to Believe in First MLB Season

PITTSBURGH — A year is quite some time and even more so for a pitcher in the major leagues, which is something Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Braxton Ashcraft can attest to.

Esmerlyn Valdez News / Pittsburgh Pirates on SI / May 27

Pirates Have Power Bat of the Future Right Now

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have a number of players that can produce right now, but they also have a rookie that is showing he can do that too.

MLB News / Field Level Media / May 26

Pirates post 12 runs, 15 hits in Cubs' 10th straight loss

Rookie Esmerlyn Valdez hit his second career home run and Oneil Cruz had the first of his three hits to highlight a five-run first inning, putting the host Pittsburgh Pirates on course to a 12-1 victory over the reeling Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night.

MLB News / Yardbarker

Which 20 players have hit four home runs in an MLB game?

The only two things rarer in modern-day baseball than the four-homer game is the Triple Crown and the unassisted triple play. The former is, of course, done over an entire season, while there's a large level of lucky in the unassisted triple play.

Esmerlyn Valdez News / Pittsburgh Pirates on SI / May 26

Pirates' Esmerlyn Valdez Crushes First PNC Park Home Run

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez has only just begun his major league career, but he's quickly showing he's ready for the challenge.

Konnor Griffin News / Bucs Dugout / May 26

Konnor Griffin makes Pirates history not seen in over 70 years

Konnor Griffin continues to make history. Debuting at 19 years old, recording an RBI double in his first at-bat, and becoming the youngest shortstop to debut since Alex Rodriguez in 1994, Griffin added another accolade to his growing list.

Click here to get Yardbarker's Quiz of the Day emailed to you!

The 'Active playoff double-doubles' quiz

The '3 3-pointer, 3-block Playoff games' quiz

The 'Most 30-point playoff games by team' quiz

The 'NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 winners' quiz

Spencer Horwitz News / Bucs Dugout / May 26

Why Spencer Horwitz is the Pirates most underrated hitter

Much has been made of the Pirates’ new-look offense in 2026. After posting one of the worst offensive seasons in franchise history last year, the Pirates have blossomed into one of the best lineups in the sport.

Jared Jones News / Pittsburgh Pirates on SI / May 26

Pirates Starter Sticking to Plan Despite Jared Jones Return

PITTSBURGH — Jared Jones will make his return to the the Pittsburgh Pirates in the near future, which will impact how the pitching staff operates moving forward.

Bryan Reynolds News / HITC / May 26

The real reason behind Bryan Reynolds’ strange season for the Pittsburgh Pirates

The simplest explanation for Bryan Reynolds’ unusual start is the one Pirates fans keep returning to: something must be wrong physically. The evidence does not really back that up.

Brandon Lowe News / Athlon Sports / May 26

Pirates' Brandon Lowe Acquisition Paying Great Dividends

The Pittsburgh Pirates entered the offseason needing to upgrade an offense that finished last in MLB in runs scored with 583. That lack of production translated to just 3.6 runs per game in 2025, also the worst mark in baseball.

Houston Astros News / Yardbarker / May 25

Trio of Astros pitchers combine to make history in win over Rangers

In making the 2026 Memorial Day holiday a memorable one, the Houston Astros put together an historic performance in a win over their in-state rival, the Texas Rangers, on Monday night.

Rangers offense reaches rock bottom in no-hit loss to Astros

Jacob Misiorowski dominates again as Brewers continue hot stretch

Guardians' Tanner Bibee ties record for home runs given up in a game

White Sox back above .500 as Rikuu Nishida shines in MLB debut

Dodgers' Roki Sasaki has turned a corner over his last four starts

Red Sox's Garrett Crochet progressing well after injury

Pittsburgh Pirates News / MLB on ClutchPoints / May 25

Pirates’ Don Kelly not thrilled after this Konnor Griffin hit-by-pitch goes uncalled

Don Kelly made sure everyone in the ballpark knew exactly how he felt. The Pittsburgh Pirates manager was ejected Monday after umpires reviewed a play

Pittsburgh Pirates News / The Lead / May 25

The Pirates’ Bullpen Is a Major Issue Costing Them Wins

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been at the bottom of baseball’s standings for years. The 2026 season has proven to be different. The Pirates have been at or over .500 since the beginning of April.

Pittsburgh Pirates News / Inside The Diamonds / May 25

Pittsburgh Pirates Notes: Valdez Connects, Sterling Dazzles & Cubs Come to PNC Park

The Pirates currently hold a 27-26 record following a successful series finale in Toronto. Pittsburgh avoided a three-game sweep on Sunday. They powered past the Blue Jays with a trio of home runs.

Pittsburgh Pirates News / Field Level Media / May 24

Esmerlyn Valdez homers for first MLB hit, helping Pirates top Jays

Esmerlyn Valdez stroked a two-run homer for his first career major league hit Sunday afternoon and the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 4-1.

Pittsburgh Pirates News / Inside The Diamonds / May 24

Pittsburgh Pirates Notes: Skenes Struggles, Jones Continues Road Back

The Pittsburgh Pirates currently hold a 26-26 record. This follows a series-clinching 5-2 loss to the Blue Jays in Toronto on Saturday afternoon. In the last 24 hours, Paul Skenes had a difficult road start.

Konnor Griffin News / Just Baseball / May 22

Konnor Griffin Is Evolving Before Our Very Eyes

Before this year’s home opener at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, the Pirates made the move their fanbase had been anxiously awaiting ever since spring training: Konnor Griffin was on his way to the show for his major league debut in front of a sold-out crowd that would immediately embrace him.

Esmerlyn Valdez News / MLB Trade Rumors / May 21

Pirates To Promote Esmerlyn Valdez

The Pirates are going to promote first base/outfield prospect Esmerlyn Valdez, reports Francys Romero of BeisbolFR. Fellow outfielder Billy Cook will be optioned as the corresponding active roster move, per DK Pittsburgh Sports.

Pittsburgh Pirates News / Yardbarker / May 18

Password accepted: Pirates call up outfielder in wake of Ryan O’Hearn injury

The Pittsburgh Pirates found themselves in need of another outfielder following a weekend sweep by the Philadelphia Phillies. Right fielder Ryan O'Hearn

Pirates' Ryan O'Hearn to miss time due to injury

The Brandon Lowe acquisition is paying off for the Pirates

Bryce Harper offers high praise of Pirates star Paul Skenes