This story was excerpted from Aiden Stepansky's Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

PITTSBURGH -- Paul Skenes hasn’t quite matched the historic success of his first two Major League campaigns. Yet, after a difficult July, when he pitched to a 6.25 ERA in six starts, Skenes returned partially to form in August with a 3.10 ERA in four starts. The recent news out

ST. LOUIS -- Bubba Chandler remembers being too serious. The 23-year-old rookie will play table tennis and scour crossword puzzles just hours before his Major League starts, but he wasn’t always like that.

Konnor Griffin took his first steps toward a return on Sunday, playing seven innings while batting 1-for-3 with two strikeouts with Double-A Altoona. The 20-year-old shortstop is eligible to come off the 60-day injured list on Sept. 4 and Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said the team is

ST. LOUIS -- The elephant in the room was so large it could no longer fit in the clubhouse. Pittsburgh’s bullpen accrued a 4.31 ERA from Opening Day through Aug. 3, the day of the Trade Deadline, which ranked 20th in baseball. General manager Ben Cherington promptly kicked the elephant

ST. LOUIS -- Carmen Mlodzinski hadn’t inherited a runner since Aug. 9, 2025. But when he entered the game on Saturday against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, Mlodzinski faced a bases-loaded jam in a tie game and Jordan Walker, with his 27 homers and 97 RBIs to boast, at the

ST. LOUIS - - One of the game’s best young stars is nearing a return. Konnor Griffin will begin a rehab assignment Sunday with Double-A Altoona as he works back from a left ring finger sagittal band injury.

ST. LOUIS -- Don Kelly knew his team needed to find a balance. In San Diego, the Pirates took two of three from the Padres, a clear positive. The series ended in frustration, though, with Pittsburgh going 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position in a shutout loss Wednesday. “We’ve got

This story was excerpted from Aiden Stepansky’s Pirates Beat newsletter. Perla Paredes pinch-hit on this edition. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ALTOONA, Pa. -- Easton Carmichael wanted to go home. It was the summer of 2024, and after playing 61 games for Oklahoma in the spring, he was tired and struggling in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Carmichael told his dad, head coach Skip Johnson and his agent he was out

Kyle Schwarber’s performance in the “Abbott Elementary” episode “Ballgame” was a no-doubt home run. The Television Academy certainly agrees, as Randall Einhorn earned an Emmy Award nomination for directing the episode. The show also earned six other nominations. The comedy on ABC pulled off the extraordinary by filming an episode

Sign stealing in baseball is a tradition as old as the game itself, dating back to the 19th century. In the modern game, how signs are stolen can often spark confrontation. In the fifth inning of the Cubs' 7-0 win over the D-backs, jawing between dugouts broke out as Arizona

The Mets youth movement isn’t just limited to A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge at the top of their Major League order. Young arms Jack Wenninger and Jonah Tong are also in the future plans and showed off their talents to start the weekend in Triple-A Syracuse. Wenninger tossed five no-hit

Middle infielder Josuar Gonzalez is likely far from his Major League debut at just 18 years old. Though the Giants' top prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 17 overall, continues to tear it up in Single-A San Jose.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto's season has already been elite. After three starts in August, Yamamoto has reached another level. The Japanese ace has logged a 1.83 ERA in 19 2/3 innings while striking out 18 batters and walking just six. His marvelous month has brought his season ERA to 2.60 in 145

There might be a new two-way star from Asia on the way. South Korean native Seong-Jun Kim (Rangers No. 8) tossed a pair of scoreless frames with four strikeouts in his Single-A Hickory debut Wednesday night.

• Get tickets to a Minor League game Signed out of the international draft

The Nationals plan to reconstruct their Major League infield with the move of star shortstop CJ Abrams to second base. Another young star is also switching positions, with 2024 first-round pick Seaver King (Nationals No. 4, MLB Pipeline No. 71) making his professional debut at third base Wednesday night for

PITTSBURGH -- The negative noise around the Pirates’ ace had never been louder. Former No. 1 pick Paul Skenes hasn’t replicated the historic success of his first two Major League seasons. After a 65-pitch outing in Miami, Pittsburgh opted to give Skenes seven days before his next start, pushing him

PITTSBURGH – All Brandon Lowe could do was pray and watch. The veteran second baseman belted a fly ball to deep right field in the bottom of the ninth, with the game tied and likely future Hall of Fame closer Kenley Jansen on the mound. As the ball floated down

The Pirates on Wednesday acquired catcher Christian Bethancourt from the Yankees in exchange for cash considerations. Bethancourt, who was assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis after being acquired, is expected to join Pittsburgh’s Major League taxi squad in Los Angeles this weekend. Bethancourt was not on the Yankees' 40-man roster, which is

PITTSBURGH -- Few players in the world can replicate the power Oneil Cruz produces. In his first game back off the 60-day injured list, Cruz showed off that power with a two-run shot in the fifth inning to give the Pirates a lead in their 4-1 win over the Tigers

PITTSBURGH – Pirates rookie Konnor Griffin is progressing in his return from the 60-day injured list. The 20-year-old shortstop is no longer wearing a splint on his left ring finger after a checkup with the team’s hand specialist and orthopedic surgeon, and he’ll head to Bradenton, Fla., when the Pirates

This story was excerpted from Aiden Stepansky's Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

This story was excerpted from Aiden Stepansky's Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

PITTSBURGH -- At 30 years old, Jake Mangum had not received an opportunity quite like this one. The Mets' 2019 fourth-round pick took five Minor League seasons to make the Majors, debuting for the Rays in 2025. After joining Pittsburgh in an offseason trade from Tampa Bay, Mangum became an