PITTSBURGH -- Braxton Ashcraft fell short of his goal of 200 innings and 30 starts due to right arm fatigue that landed him on the 15-day injured list on Sept. 10.
The Pirates All-Star right-hander still has plenty to be proud of in 2026. And after avoiding a serious injury, Ashcraft will enter the offseason healthy.
Ashcraft threw a career-high 165 1/3 innings this season, nearly 50 more than his 2025 total (69 2/3 innings with the Pirates, 48 1/3 at Triple-A). He worked a 3.65 ERA and threw his first career nine-inning complete game on Aug. 13 against the Marlins, needing just 85 pitches in a 13-1 win.
Ashcraft said he won’t pitch again in ‘26, but played catch on Friday and “felt great.” Throwing a bullpen session in the season’s final weeks is still undecided, though the 26-year-old hopes to get to a point where he feels confident enough letting the ball go and monitoring his recovery after some time off.
“If we had another week, I would be pitching again,” Ashcraft said prior to Saturday’s game vs. the Royals at PNC Park. “But with us being eliminated, there's nothing to gain other than pride, and pride is the killer of everything in this game. So I think right now the objective is to look toward next season for me.”
Ashcraft began feeling arm fatigue after throwing a bullpen on Sept. 8 in Chicago. He sought consultation throughout the week, which assured him that it wasn’t a structural injury, but rather fatigue due to his workload.
Ashcraft said he dealt with similar discomfort during the 2024 season, three years removed from undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2021. He felt his body was in the best shape it’s ever been in at the professional level throughout the ‘26 season, though Ashcraft ultimately determined he needed a break.
“There was never a concern of injury or anything further,” Ashcraft said. “We were in alignment that I could have gutted out a few [innings] in my last three starts. But if we were in the Wild Card Series, I wouldn't have contributed in the same way before that. So, I just wanted to make sure that we were being diligent about my health and not creating more out of discomfort and general fatigue.”
When Ashcraft hit the IL, he was in line for four more starts, and the Pirates were still within reach of an NL Wild Card spot. The timing irked Ashcraft, who emerged as the club’s most reliable arm in the starting rotation.
“It was a really hard pill to swallow to not do that,” Ashcraft said. “But it was the idea of being in the race for the Wild Card at that time. Making sure that we're able to put ourselves in the best position, so that I could be available, whether it's out of the bullpen or starting.”
While his season is over, Ashcraft is grateful for the breakout campaign he had.
“There's been multiple times in my career where I was OK with being done, and to break into the big leagues last year, have success and to carry that into this year was really rewarding,” Ashcraft said. “It's in those moments that you doubt yourself, the moments that you look yourself in the mirror and don't think that you're going to be a big leaguer, and then it does happen, and you do have success.”
The 2018 second-round pick has come a long way after multiple setbacks on his road to the Major Leagues. In addition to his 2021 Tommy John surgery, Ashcraft had knee and shoulder injuries, and even contemplated retiring from baseball. It took conversations with his family and the Pirates organization for Ashcraft to give it another shot. That’s why his achievements this season hold even more weight.
Ashcraft described the stretch after the All-Star break, when he allowed 11 earned runs across two starts, as the most he’s learned in his nine-year professional career.
Ashcraft aims to be more diligent in what he does from start to start so his body can survive the marathon of a 162-game season. As Ashcraft proved in 2026, the more he pitches, the more success he and Pittsburgh will have.
“I've never been at this point in my career in terms of innings,” Ashcraft said. “It's not a worry for me at all. It's just one of those things where you learn from it and make sure that it doesn't happen again.”