Jul 24, 2026, 2:17 PM ET

Across 116 1/3 innings (20 starts) in 2026, Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Braxton Ashcraft has recorded a 9-4 record with a 3.95 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 130 strikeouts. While Ashcraft's overall line is strong, he's run into a rough patch of late. Across his last two starts, the 26-year-old has allowed four home runs and 12 earned runs in just eight innings pitched. Ashcraft's previous career-high for innings pitched in a professional season was 73 in 2024, so he may be running into a wall under the strain of his current workload. However, the young right-hander's underlying metrics still point to high-end upside. Ashcraft is averaging 97.2 miles per hour on his fastball, and he's logged a 27.0% strikeout rate with just a 5.8% walk rate. In leagues where managers are panicking after back-to-back rough outings, Ashcraft could be worth buying low on.--Will Brady
Source: RotoBaller

Jul 18, 2026, 12:04 PM ET

The Pittsburgh Pirates are selecting the contract of right-handed pitching prospect Khristian Curtis from Triple-A Indianapolis for Game 1 of their doubleheader on Saturday against the Cleveland Guardians, according to MLB.com's Alex Stumpf. Curtis is the team's No. 21 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, but he might only be with the Bucs for one day as extra pitching depth for their two games versus Cleveland. The 24-year-old former 12th-rounder in 2023 out of Arizona State University will be making his MLB debut if he gets into a game on Saturday. He started the year at Double-A Altoona before being promoted to Indy despite going 0-7 with a 4.73 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 67:25 K:BB in 53 1/3 innings over his 12 starts. In six appearances (four starts) at Triple-A, Curtis has gone 2-1 with a 5.57 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, and 30:15 K:BB in 21 frames. If Curtis debuts on Saturday, it will be in a relief role, and he could be sent back to Indy on Sunday, so fantasy managers in AL-only leagues can avoid him for now.--Keith Hernandez
Source: MLB.com - Alex Stumpf

Jul 13, 2026, 10:31 AM ET

Pittsburgh Pirates pitching prospect Seth Hernandez continued his impressive debut season by tossing a perfect frame in the Futures Game on Sunday afternoon. Entering the game in the second inning, the former No. 6 overall pick tossed a shutout inning with no hits, no walks, and two punchouts. The 20-year-old made his pro debut at Low-A this season but has already been bumped up to High-A and is putting himself in a strong position to reach Double-A later in the second half of the season. At Low-A, Hernandez logged 28 innings with a 0.96 ERA and 0.71 WHIP, prompting the early promotion. While the right-hander has hit some roadblocks at High-A, he has continued to flash elite strikeout potential, totaling 61 strikeouts in just 41 innings. If Hernandez can continue this trajectory, he should reach Double-A later this season and establish himself as the clear No. 1 pitching prospect in the game, alongside Seattle's Kade Anderson.--Andy Smith
Source: MLB.com

Jul 10, 2026, 10:56 AM ET

The Pittsburgh Pirates are calling up right-handed pitching prospect Thomas Harrington from Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday, sources told MLB.com's Alex Stumpf. Per MLB Pipeline, Harrington is the club's No. 12 prospect. The 24-year-old former 36th overall pick in 2022 out of Campbell University made his major-league debut with the Bucs last year and struggled in his three appearances (one start), posting a 15.58 ERA with 15 earned runs allowed, three homers surrendered, seven walks, and seven strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings pitched. The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder has also struggled at Indy this year, going 1-5 with a 6.52 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, and 56:26 K:BB in 58 innings across 20 appearances (six starts). Harrington doesn't have plus stuff on the mound, so he needs to rely on pinpoint control and keeping hitters off balance. Injuries got in the way in 2025, but he's healthy now and will look to fare better in his second taste of the big leagues. Fantasy managers in all formats can stay away for now, especially with Harrington likely filling a low-leverage relief role in his return to Pittsburgh.--Keith Hernandez
Source: MLB.com - Alex Stumpf

Jul 10, 2026, 10:50 AM ET

The Pittsburgh Pirates are calling up right-handed pitching prospect Antwone Kelly from Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday, sources told Alex Stumpf of MLB.com. According to MLB Pipeline, Kelly is the Pirates' No. 7 prospect. The 22-year-old native of Aruba made one relief appearance for Pittsburgh earlier this year on June 12 against the Miami Marlins and struggled, allowing two earned runs on two hits (one homer) while walking one and striking out a batter. In 17 appearances (12 starts) for Indy, Kelly has a 4.85 ERA and 1.50 WHIP with 54 strikeouts and 33 walks in 68 2/3 innings pitched. The 5-foot-10, 238-pounder is undersized for a starter, but he makes up for it with strength and can reach triple digits with his fastball. For as hard as he throws, though, Kelly doesn't generate a ton of swing and miss, and his command hasn't been great on the farm in 2026. Now that he's back with the big-league club, Kelly will most likely pitch out of the bullpen again to give the Bucs some length heading into next week's All-Star break.--Keith Hernandez
Source: MLB.com - Alex Stumpf

Jul 2, 2026, 9:55 AM ET

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes continued his recent slide on Wednesday night in Philadelphia, allowing six hits and a season-high seven earned runs in just four innings. Over his last six starts, the 24-year-old ace is 0-6 with a 5.36 ERA, but only a 3.58 FIP. While his metrics aren't quite as bad as his results, they still are not great. His defense has let him down repeatedly this season, and that trend continued on Wednesday, with potential outs turning into hits, runs, and more pitches for Skenes. He's definitely not been his best over the last several starts, but his teammates aren't doing much to help him either. His ceiling is too high to let him go from your fantasy team, and trading him now would definitely be selling low. He'll look to bounce back next Tuesday at home against the Braves, and for now, he's someone to hold on to and count on him to find his way through this rough patch.--Zach Thompson
Source: ESPN

Jul 1, 2026, 3:09 PM ET

Pittsburgh Pirates pitching prospect Seth Hernandez has settled in at High-A, allowing just one earned run over his last two starts and posting a 15:4 K:BB over 11 innings pitched. The Pirates' top-ranked prospect earned a promotion to Greensboro after dominating Single-A Bradenton through six starts, and now through eight starts at High-A, the right-hander owns a 2.88 ERA and 1.22 WHIP along with an impressive 36.0 percent strikeout rate. His 15.1 percent walk rate is something to keep an eye on, but after walking just 6.7 percent of batters at Single-A and given his recent success, that number will likely come down as the season progresses. The sixth-overall draft pick from the 2025 Draft isn't likely to debut in the majors this year, but has the makings of a quick mover who could climb the minor league ladder rapidly. Fantasy managers should have the 20-year-old on their radar for next season.--Jarod Rupp
Source: MiLB.com

Jul 1, 2026, 11:10 AM ET

Pittsburgh Pirates left-handed reliever Mason Montgomery and right-hander Dennis Santana have risen up the closer depth chart in Pittsburgh with lefty Gregory Soto struggling of late. Montgomery was afforded a couple of save opportunities in June, but the problem is he blew both of his save chances and struggled to a 6.52 ERA (3.00 FIP) with seven earned runs allowed on 11 hits (one homer) while walking six and striking out 16 in 9 2/3 innings with a 1-2 record, two blown saves, and a hold. Overall in 2026, the 26-year-old former sixth-round pick by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2021 out of Texas Tech University has gone 2-3 with a 4.68 ERA (3.35 FIP), 1.41 WHIP, and 46:16 K:BB in his 32 2/3 innings pitched across 33 outings (four starts) for the Bucs. While Montgomery is a late-inning option for the Pirates in their constantly evolving bullpen, he just hasn't been consistent enough in high-leverage situations for fantasy managers to trust as a source of saves in mixed leagues. Montgomery is rostered in just 1% of Yahoo leagues.--Keith Hernandez
Source: Baseball Reference

Jun 29, 2026, 10:04 AM ET

Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitcher Jared Jones has struggled through six starts since returning from the UCL surgery he underwent in May of 2025, pitching to the tune of a 5.76 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, and nine walks in 25 innings pitched. It's expected that one is to struggle from an injury like he suffered; however, the 24 year old second round pick in 2020 has been a highly viewed pitching prospect for the Pirates after he had a nice rookie campaign in 2024, where he had a 4.14 ERA (3.97 xERA) and really strong strikeout and swing and miss numbers (26.2 percent strikeout rate and 30.2 percent whiff rate). So far through his six starts in 2026, his fastball velocity remains elite (97th percentile); however, his strikeout rate is down (22.7 percent), and he's getting hit hard (90.3 mph average exit velocity and 40.8 percent hard-hit rate), all while demonstrating average control (8.2 percent walk rate). Additionally, Jones has only worked five innings once and is averaging only four innings per start, so he is being handcuffed a bit by pitch count and is inefficient. All this to say, Jones has tremendous upside, and while he is not necessarily a must-start at this time, he is still a strong person to roster that can be useful down the stretch as he continues to ramp up from his return from injury.--Nicho Roessler
Source: MLB.com

Jun 28, 2026, 9:28 AM ET

Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Bubba Chandler has steadied himself in his past four starts. The 23-year-old held the Seattle Mariners to one run across 5 1/3 innings on June 25 after working six innings of two-run ball at Coors Field on June 19. He hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in his last four starts and has a 2.82 ERA with 18 strikeouts and eight walks during that stretch. The improved run prevention is encouraging, but Chandler has not totally fixed the command issues that have shaped his season. He owns a 4.42 ERA (4.63 FIP) and a 1.39 WHIP with 73 strikeouts and a league-high 46 walks through 79 1/3 innings. He has made 15 starts in 16 appearances, but the walks make him difficult to trust in standard mixed leagues. Chandler is rostered in 62% of Yahoo leagues and is best suited in deeper formats as a matchup-based option.--Bruno Mulé
Source: RotoBaller

Jun 25, 2026, 4:46 PM ET

Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Jared Jones (elbow) is listed as the team's scheduled starter for Saturday's game versus the division-rival Cincinnati Reds, according to Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Jones took a line drive off his right elbow in his last outing on Sunday against the Colorado Rockies and was pulled early, but thankfully, tests on his elbow came back negative, and he appears set to return to the starting rotation this weekend against Cincy. The 24-year-old was a popular stash candidate as he neared his 2026 debut after missing all of last year due to right-elbow surgery, but so far in his five starts for the Bucs, he has underwhelmed, going 1-1 with a 5.75 ERA (4.77 FIP) and 1.52 WHIP with 21 strikeouts and eight walks in 20 1/3 innings pitched. He also has had a limited workload, not exceeding 77 pitches yet. Jones won't be a popular streamer this weekend, but the matchup isn't terrible, with the Reds coming in with the 24th OPS (.699) in baseball.--Keith Hernandez
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Colin Beazley

Jun 24, 2026, 10:15 PM ET

Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Braxton Ashcraft had his third straight strong start on Wednesday night in an 11-1 blowout win at PNC Park against the Seattle Mariners. Ashcraft allowed just one earned run on five hits while walking none and striking out 10 in six innings of work for his seventh victory of the 2026 season. The strong start lowered his season ERA to 3.07. The lone run that the 26-year-old former second-rounder in 2018 gave up came in the first inning, but he settled down after that to shut the M's down. It was Ashcraft's third straight start with two runs allowed or fewer, and he has now held opponents to two runs or fewer while going at least six innings in six of his last 10 starts. In addition to his 3.07 ERA on the year, Ashcraft has posted a 1.09 WHIP with 107 strikeouts and only 22 walks in 96 2/3 innings pitched across 16 starts in his second year in the big leagues. His strong second year with Pittsburgh has boosted his fantasy appeal, and he's now rostered in almost 90% of Yahoo leagues. Ashcraft will be put to the test in his next scheduled outing on the road against the Philadelphia Phillies. In his first meeting at home against Philly on May 15, Ashcraft allowed four earned runs with no walks and five strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings for a no-decision.--Keith Hernandez
Source: MLB.com

Jun 21, 2026, 10:09 PM ET

Pirates right-hander Jared Jones (elbow) received a positive update after being struck by a line drive on Sunday, with initial imaging coming back negative. Jones is expected to undergo further evaluation on Monday, but the early results are encouraging for the 24-year-old flamethrower. Jones has struggled to find consistency this season after missing all of 2025 due to injury, posting a 5.75 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, and 21 strikeouts across five starts. His high-end potential remains clear, highlighted by a fastball that averages 99 mph. However, there is still no timeline for his return, and fantasy managers should monitor the situation closely.--Julian Brooke
Source: Pittsburgh Pirates

Jun 20, 2026, 4:02 PM ET

Pirates right-hander Jared Jones has struggled since returning from an injury that sidelined him for the entire 2025 season, making his 2026 debut less than a month ago. The 24-year-old has allowed 12 runs across four starts and is pitching to a 6.23 ERA with a 1.62 WHIP over 17 ⅓ innings. The former second-round pick posted a 4.14 ERA during his rookie season in 2024 and showed flashes of frontline starter potential. His 98th percentile fastball continues to anchor an elite pitch mix, but Jones has struggled to miss bats at his expected rate and limit damage. The results have not matched expectations, but the underlying tools and velocity suggest a turnaround remains within reach.--Julian Brooke
Source: MLB.com