New Pirate making waves all over the field ... and social media

PITTSBURGH -- Baseball fans in 2026 show off their fandom in myriad ways. To support newcomer Ronny Simon, Pirates fanatics on X changed their profile photos to the 26-year-old’s headshot.

Simon’s headshot is likely to see more social-media circulation after his efforts on Saturday at PNC Park. The right fielder's two hits, two RBIs, stolen base and a run helped Pittsburgh break out of a recent offensive rut, leading to a 9-0 win over the Mets to snap a four-game skid. The Pirates eclipsed the five-run mark as a team for the first time in August.

“It's really fun. Amazing,” Simon said postgame. “It's like that's just my authentic emotion. When I go there, it's just me, just be Ronny Simon, bringing the energy and just be me.”

Simon’s route to becoming a fan favorite hasn’t been easy. The La Romana, Dominican Republic, native stands at just 5-foot-8 and made his MLB debut in April 2025 at 25 years old for the Marlins.

Simon came to tears last year in San Diego after committing three errors in three innings to help the Padres come back from down six to beat the Marlins. He was comforted by Miami manager Clayton McCullough and teammates before being removed from the game. Three days later, Simon was designated for assignment and claimed by the Pirates.

He played in eight games for Pittsburgh in 2025 before dislocating his shoulder, which ended his season. Simon was designated for assignment in November to make room on the 40-man roster, and he re-signed on a Minor League contract soon after. He slugged his way through Triple-A Indianapolis before Pittsburgh eventually looked to Simon to fix their woes versus left-handed pitching. After all, Simon recorded a 1.057 OPS vs. lefties with Indianapolis this season.

The outfielder got his feet wet in Milwaukee before tallying two hits in the Pirates' loss Friday night. Then, after moving up from the No. 9 hole to the No. 6 spot Saturday night due to a late scratch to Endy Rodríguez, Simon made his presence felt.

“I think he’s had good at-bats. He’s a spark plug,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said pregame. “There’s energy. Right-handed or left-handed, he’s looking forward to getting up there and swinging it. He’s had some really good at-bats.”

With the Pirates already leading 1-0 in the first, Simon cleared the bases with a two-run double just inside the third-base foul line. Two innings later, Simon started a rally with a drag bunt to second base, beating out the flip from Marcus Semien. He stole second base with ease and came around to score on a single by Jacob Gonzalez, wagging his tongue as he dove into home plate.

Kelly described Simon’s energy as infectious, while Jake Mangum, who played at Triple-A Durham with him in 2024 in the Rays’ organization, called him a “little ball of energy.” Simon said his bunt came from his time in the Dominican Winter League, where bunting is more common and comes as a surprise.

“Whatever they need me, I'll be there,” Simon said. “If you're catching, I'll be there. If you need to throw it, I'll be there. Whatever they need me, I'm just trying to be Ronny Simon, contributing with everybody, and then try to smile all the time, and then they're bringing energy. That's what I can do.”

Simon took the roster spot of the veteran Marcell Ozuna after Ozuna hit .203 in 251 at-bats. Pittsburgh opted not to add a bat at the Deadline and instead released Ozuna two days later and added Simon to the 40-man roster.

With Simon slugging in the Pirates’ lineup, Mangum adding three hits of his own and starter Bubba Chandler tossing six scoreless innings, Pittsburgh seemed to re-find its groove for at least the night.

A once powerful offense leading baseball in hits and near the top in OPS has lost its stamina in recent weeks and drifted closer to simply average. Simons’s burst of energy helped the Pirates return to the win column and find themselves again. Whether you want to call it #RonnyBall, #SimonSays or anything in between is up to you. But Ronny wants to just be Ronny.

"I'm going to be better every time I go out to the field. I'm thinking all the time when I go over there [that] some kids watch me, and then I want all the kids that watch me to try to be Ronny Simon.”