Pirates' 2026 Opening Day roster falling into place ... with a few surprises 

BRADENTON, Fla. -- The Pirates entered spring with several big decisions to make and a full head of steam after emerging as one of the busiest teams in the offseason. After what manager Don Kelly admitted were several "extremely difficult" calls regarding the roster, the position-player side of things is now set as the team looks to break camp on Monday night.

Hoping to sculpt a playoff contender around NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh brought in several veteran bats to strengthen a league-worst offense and added a few impact arms to its bullpen. While Grapefruit League stats should be taken with a grain of salt, we saw a lot of positive trends emerge this spring, not the least of which is seeing the wealth of talent waiting in the Minors to lend a hand when called upon.

As we await the final pieces to fall into place, here’s where the Pirates’ 2026 Opening Day roster stands:

Catcher (2): Joey Bart, Henry Davis
Bart (76 starts) and Davis (74) split time last season. Davis is the better defender who has the advantage of being homegrown. Neither catcher has been able to edge out the other with offense (Davis hit .167 in 2025 and had just three hits in 12 spring games entering Sunday; Bart hit .249 and has five Grapefruit League hits in 13 games). With no real offensive breakout this spring, the tandem of former first-round Draft picks are set to share catching duties again.

First baseman (1): Spencer Horwitz
Horwitz flourished down the stretch in 2025, saving what had been a lost season following a nagging right wrist injury that required surgery that February. He posted a .916 OPS after the All-Star break and will return as the everyday first baseman in ’26.

Second baseman (1): Brandon Lowe
Lowe, the marquee offseason move, also spent time at first base and DH with the Rays, but the addition of Marcell Ozuna all but locks Lowe into second base.

Shortstop (1): Jared Triolo
The Pirates announced on Saturday that Konnor Griffin, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the top prospect in baseball, will start the year with Triple-A Indianapolis, ending weeks of speculation about the talented 19-year-old. While Nick Gonzales was the incumbent here, Kelley announced on Sunday that Triolo -- an elite defender who won an NL Gold Glove for his utility role in 2024 -- will be the Bucs' main man at short to start the season.

Third baseman (1): Nick Gonzales
The Pirates showed interest in several third basemen throughout the offseason but did not land one. With Triolo sliding over to shortstop, Gonzales gets the nod here out of the gate. Gonzales is a strong defender who has worked hard to improve his offense (a .355 Grapefruit League average and a .762 OPS through 11 games played) and has committed just one error this spring with one game to go.

Outfielders (4): Bryan Reynolds, Oneil Cruz, Ryan O'Hearn, Jake Mangum
There were plenty of new faces in contention alongside the traditional stalwarts in Reynolds and Cruz, with the latter entering his second season as the team's full-time center fielder. O'Hearn signed the largest contract for a free-agent hitter in franchise history, and he’s likely to see the bulk of his time in right field. Mangum -- acquired in the Lowe trade -- excels with a combination of contact and speed, making a spot for himself with a .282 spring average (11-for-39) with a double, a triple and two steals.

UTIL (2): Nick Yorke, Billy Cook
Yorke was an early favorite for the utility role who bolstered his cause with solid early Grapefruit League at-bats and his ability to slot into several roles (he appeared at first, second and third base, as well as in left and right field this spring). Cook might have been the biggest wild-card decision on the roster given the Pirates' lack of depth on the left side of the infield, but he played well enough this spring -- .238 (10-for-42) with three doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs entering the final spring game -- to land a spot on his first Opening Day roster after appearing in all three outfield spots and at first base.

DH (1): Marcell Ozuna
Adding Ozuna limits some of Pittsburgh's positional flexibility (he last played the outfield in 2023), but his bat is another key to the team's overhaul. He hit 21 home runs in a down ’25 and is just two years removed from a fourth-place finish in NL MVP voting.

Starting pitchers (5): Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler, Carmen Mlodzinski
There's plenty of upside in this group, beginning with Skenes and Keller. Chandler -- MLB Pipeline's No. 11 prospect -- will look to build on last season, when he got a taste of the Majors. The same goes for Ashcraft, who is finally fully healthy following an eye-opening 2025. Mlodzinski proved himself a very capable reliever last season, but the development of a devastating splitter combined with a standout spring -- a 2.92 ERA and 14 strikeouts against just two walks -- earned him the edge here over No. 96 prospect Hunter Barco.

Relief pitchers (8): Dennis Santana, Gregory Soto, Isaac Mattson, Justin Lawrence, Yohan Ramírez, Mason Montgomery, Mike Clevinger, José Urquidy
The first five names seem like safe bets, headlined by Soto, who signed a one-year deal on Dec. 16. Santana served as the team's closer after the David Bednar trade. Beyond that, Ramírez is out of options, and Montgomery -- the third piece in the Lowe trade -- could secure a spot as the unit's second lefty and has pitched to a 2.70 ERA with one save in seven spring appearances. The Bucs hope the newcomer Urquidy will return to form after throwing just 2 1/3 Major League innings last season on the other side of Tommy John surgery. Mike Clevinger, who is in camp as a non-roster invitee, has also impressed this spring. Barco, who started two Grapefruit League games and relieved two more, is also an option here.