APRIL 7, 2022 • POST-GAZETTE.COM
PITTSBURGH PIRATES 76-86 · 2024 5TH IN NL CENTRAL
76-86 · 2024 5TH IN NL CENTRAL
Pirates sign Ke'Bryan Hayes to 8-year, $70 million extension The Pirates are signing third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes to an eight-year, $70 million contract, a source confirmed to the Post-Gazette. It’s th...
Ke'Bryan Hayes - Agrees to contract extension Hayes signed an eight-year, $70 million contract extension with the Pirates on Thursday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
Impact Hayes showed promise with the Pirates while appearing in 96 major-league games last year, hitting .257 with six homers, 49 runs, 38 RBI and nine steals. He's a key player for the rebuilding Pittsburgh club and will be rewarded with a long-term deal that includes a team option for a ninth season. The 25-year-old dealt with a minor ankle sprain late in camp but is healthy to begin the 2022 campaign.
APRIL 7, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Diego Castillo - On bench for Opening Day Castillo is not in the lineup for Thursday's Opening Day contest against the Cardinals.
Impact A strong spring for Castillo earned him an Opening Day call-up despite the fact that he'd only played in 18 Triple-A games. The promotion was perhaps even more surprising given that the Pirates are in no rush to win and didn't call up fellow middle infield prospect Oneil Cruz. Castillo's inclusion apparently doesn't mean he'll have an everyday role, however. Kevin Newman starts at shortstop, while Hoy Park starts at second base. Castillo is a righty while Park bats left-handed, so it's possible a platoon is the plan at the keystone.
APRIL 7, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Ke'Bryan Hayes - Starting at third base Hayes (ankle) is starting Thursday's game against the Cardinals, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Impact Hayes didn't appear in any spring games after March 25 due to a minor ankle sprain, but he'll start at the hot corner and bat third during Thursday's Opening Day matchup. The 25-year-old appeared in 96 games for Pittsburgh last year and hit .257 with six homers, 49 runs, 38 RBI and nine stolen bases.
APRIL 7, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Hoy Jun Park - Picks up Opening Day start Park will start at second base and bat ninth in Thursday's season opener versus the Cardinals.
Impact At least to begin the season, the lefty-hitting Park looks as though he may handle a large-side platoon role in the Pittsburgh infield, as he'll be receiving the starting nod for the opener with right-hander Adam Wainwright on the mound for St. Louis. Rookie Diego Castillo bats from the right side of the plate and could be a candidate to replace Park in the lineup versus southpaws.
APRIL 7, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Pirates announce minor league roster assignments ST. LOUIS — Henry Davis will start with High-A Greensboro. Playing time is becoming hard to find. And much of that Grasshoppers team that wi...
APRIL 7, 2022 • POST-GAZETTE.COM
Aaron Fletcher - Included on Opening Day roster Fletcher has made the Pirates' Opening Day roster, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
Impact Fletcher was claimed off waivers by the Pirates in mid-March after being designated for assignment by Seattle, and he tossed 4.2 scoreless innings across five relief appearances this spring. In spite of his promising results during camp, the southpaw should operate in a low-leverage role to begin the 2022 campaign.
APRIL 7, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Pirates set opening day roster as Greg Allen heads to 60-day injured list ST. LOUIS — The Pirates on Thursday morning set their opening day roster, which includes some injury news and two new faces. They formally a...
APRIL 7, 2022 • POST-GAZETTE.COM
Greg Allen - Placed on 60-day IL Allen (hamstring) was placed on the 60-day injured list Thursday.
Impact Allen tweaked his hamstring during Sunday's Grapefruit League matchup against the Rays and was expected to begin the regular season on the IL as a result. His placement on the 60-day IL will clear a spot on the 40-man roster and means that he'll be forced to miss the first two months of the year. The 29-year-old slashed .294/.538/.765 with two homers, a triple, seven runs, four RBI and four stolen bases this spring, so it's certainly possible that he joins the major-league club once he's healthy.
APRIL 7, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Adonis Medina - Expunged from 40-man roster The Pirates designated Medina for assignment Wednesday.
Impact Medina's removal from the 40-man roster clears a spot for the newly signed Andrew Knapp, who will open the season as the Pirates' No. 2 catcher. Meanwhile, Medina will be in DFA limbo for the second time this offseason, after the Phillies previously dropped him from their 40-man roster in December before he was claimed off waivers by the Pirates in March once the lockout concluded. If he clears waivers this time around, Medina will stick in Pittsburgh's organization and report to Triple-A Indianapolis.
APRIL 7, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
MLB Opening Day live updates: Game times, starters, what to watch for Major League Baseball's 2022 season is here. It's Opening Day. The Athletic will bring you the latest news, analysis, updates and more throu...
APRIL 7, 2022 • THEATHLETIC.COM
Q&A with Pirates manager Derek Shelton: 'Have things been challenging? 100 percent.' Shelton opens up about the challenges of the past two years, how he communicates with players and his dream team to manage.
APRIL 7, 2022 • THEATHLETIC.COM
Joe Starkey: Miraculously, the Pirates could be even worse this season It isn’t easy to quantify just how bad the Pirates were these past two seasons. But we can try. In 2020, they posted their worst winning per...
APRIL 7, 2022 • POST-GAZETTE.COM
2022 Pirates opening day roster breakdown A look at the opening day roster for the 2022 Pirates as of Wednesday night: (Number, name, position, bats/throws, height, weight, comment)...
APRIL 7, 2022 • POST-GAZETTE.COM
MLB 2022: J-Rod, Torkelson lead early Rookie of the Year contenders
On the eve of the 2022 season, Jake Mintz provides some new names fans will want to know in his list of ROY contenders.APRIL 7, 2022
José Quintana - Starting home opener Quintana will be included in the Pirates' Opening Day rotation and is slated to make his season debut Tuesday against the Cubs in Pittsburgh, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Ga...
Impact Quintana is the most accomplished pitcher in the Pirates' rotation and the only one not on a pre-arbitration contract, so he was a lock to win a starting role despite having been in steady decline since being shipped from the White Sox to the Cubs ahead of the 2017 trade deadline. Though JT Brubaker was awarded the Opening Day start Thursday in St. Louis, Quintana will take the hill for the Pirates' home opener and will face off against one of his former teams. While serving mainly as a reliever between stops with the Angels and Giants in 2021, Quintana turned in a career-best 28.6 percent strikeout rate, but his good work in that area was mostly negated by a 11.8 percent walk rate and 1.71 HR/9, which were both career-worst marks. He didn't provide much reason to be optimistic about his outlook this spring, as he struck out only four batters across nine innings while surrendering four home runs and walking three.
APRIL 6, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Jake Marisnick - Signs with Pirates Marisnick agreed Wednesday with the Pirates on a one-year contract, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Impact Marisnick was released by the Rangers on Tuesday, but he'll quickly find a spot with another organization ahead of the regular season. The terms of his deal aren't yet known, but he'll be available to provide additional depth in the outfield with Anthony Alford (wrist) and Greg Allen (hamstring) out to begin the regular season. Marisnick appeared in 10 spring games this year and hit .160 with a home run, a triple, a double, six runs, four RBI and a stolen base.
APRIL 6, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Zach Thompson - Part of Opening Day rotation Thompson secured a spot in the Pirates' Opening Day rotation and is scheduled to make his first start of the season Monday in St. Louis, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com repor...
Impact Though Thompson finished his rookie season in Miami with a 3.24 ERA and 1.21 WHIP across 75 innings, the Marlins didn't have room for him in their rotation entering 2022. He should have a longer leash on a starting role in Pittsburgh, after the Pirates acquired Thompson from Miami in November in the deal that sent catcher Jacob Stallings to the Marlins. Thompson's move to PNC Park should continue to help him suppress home runs, but the unremarkable 12.1 K-BB% he turned in last season means that fantasy managers should anticipate some downturn in his ERA. The 28-year-old may also have a tough time collecting wins while being supported by what's projected to be a poor offense and bullpen.
APRIL 6, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Sources: Pirates signing outfielder Jake Marisnick to replace injured Greg Allen The Pirates have addressed the looming loss of Greg Allen by signing veteran outfielder Jake Marisnick to a contract, sources told the Pitts...
APRIL 6, 2022 • POST-GAZETTE.COM
Bryse Wilson - Clinches rotation spot Wilson secured a spot in the Pirates' Opening Day rotation and is scheduled to make his first start of the season Sunday in St. Louis, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports...
Impact Wilson emerged from the Grapefruit League season with a 6.94 ERA and seven walks allowed over 11.2 innings, but he at least excelled at making bats miss by racking up 16 strikeouts. After Wilson posted a lowly 14.3 percent strikeout rate over 100.2 big-league innings between Atlanta and Pittsburgh in 2021, the limited spring sample offers some encouragement that the 24-year-old might be able to take a big step forward in that area. Even if the uptick in strikeouts carries over to the regular season, Wilson will still need to curb both his walks and home runs allowed before he emerges as a usable option in most mixed leagues.
APRIL 6, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Mitch Keller - Wins rotation spot Keller secured a spot in the Pirates' Opening Day rotation and is scheduled to make his first start of the season Saturday in St. Louis, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com repor...
Impact Keller appeared to be on strong footing for a rotation spot heading into the spring, but he solidified his spot after submitting a 2.92 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 12:3 K:BB across 12.1 innings over his four starts. Though Keller's results weren't eye-popping on the surface, he and the Pirates are optimistic he can take a step forward in 2022 after he tinkered with his repertoire over the winter to incorporate a new-look slider featuring more horizontal break, according to Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic. The refined slider could emerge as a much-needed reliable breaking pitch to his upper-90s fastball, as Keller has thus far struggled to find a consistent secondary offering to complement the heater during his time in the majors.
APRIL 6, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Cole Tucker - Doubles in loss Tucker went 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored in a 5-1 loss Tuesday against the Phillies.
Impact Tucker doubled and scored in the third inning off Zach Eflin. The 25-year-old batted ninth and started in right field for Pittsburgh. Serving in a utility role, Tucker has appeared at shortstop, second base and all three outfield positions during Grapefruit League play. The former first-round pick had an impressive spring, batting .297/.350/.568 with two home runs in 12 games. Tucker batted leadoff in the majority of his spring games and could find himself in that role early in the season if he continues to produce.
APRIL 6, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Pirates vs Cardinals Prediction, Odds, Probable Pitchers, Betting Lines & Spread for MLB Game on FanDuel Sportsbook Pirates vs Cardinals Game Info 2022 MLB Regular Season Game Pittsburgh Pirates (0-0, 0-0 Away) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (0-0, 0-0 Home) Date:...
APRIL 6, 2022 • FANDUEL.COM
Roberto Pérez - Hitless in loss Perez went 0-for-2 with a strikeout in a 5-1 loss Tuesday against Philadelphia.
Impact Batting eighth in the lineup, Perez grounded out and struck out before being replaced by Taylor Davis. The Pirates signed the 33-year-old backstop to a one-year, $5 million contract to serve as their primary catcher following the trade of Jacob Stallings. A career .206 hitter, Perez slashed just .192/.267/.346 with one home run in 11 spring games. While he should get the majority of playing time behind the plate for Pittsburgh, he'll likely be a bottom-of-the-order, low-producing hitter.
APRIL 6, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Bryan Reynolds - Two hits in loss Reynolds went 2-for-3 with a RBI in a 5-1 loss Tuesday versus Philadelphia.
Impact Reynolds started in center field and singled in his first two plate appearances against Zach Eflin. The 27-year-old crushed opposing pitching all spring and wrapped up the preseason with a .361/.368/.750 batting line and three home runs in 12 games. The 2021 All-Star never hit lower than third in the batting order in 2021 and has hit second in every spring training game this season. As long as he's a Pirate, he will likely be at the top of the order.
APRIL 6, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
