Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds on Wrong Side of MLB Playoff History

The Pittsburgh Pirates are hungry to get back to the playoffs. The moves the organization has made over the past year signal that the team is ready to end its postseason drought.

Unfortunately, the Pirates failed to accomplish that goal during the 2026 season, as the wait continues

For the most part, many players on Pittsburgh’s roster are fairly new to the big leagues and are still finding their footing at this level. They’ve only had a handful of opportunities to reach the playoffs to begin with.

However, there is one player who has been a part of the Pirates' core for a long time and is on the wrong side of MLB history in terms of how long he’s played in the Majors without seeing any postseason action.

When the Pirates were eliminated from the playoffs in the middle of last month, he became one of just eight players in MLB history to have played over 1,000 games without a postseason at-bat. He’s also the only active player with a streak of this kind.

Reynold’s 1,110 games played come out to eight seasons. For whatever it's worth, that’s far from the most games played without a playoff appearance, being Adam Dunn, who played 2,001 games over 14 seasons from 2001-2014.

Reynolds debuted with the Pirates in 2019, meaning his teams have, for the most part, never truly been in contention to play in October. The 2026 season, when the Pirates were playing meaningful games in September, was truly the closest Reynolds has come to extending his season beyond the guaranteed 162 games.

Even though Reynolds hasn’t participated in a postseason game, he has the numbers of a player who could be a key piece for a roster in October. Over the 31-year-old’s eight-year career, he owns a .803 OPS and an average of about 19 home runs per season.

Deep down, Reynolds is probably desperate to play in high-leverage games in primetime. That said, the veteran is also clearly happy with the situation he’s in and believes the team is set up for the future. 

Reynolds signed an eight-year, $106.75 million extension with the Pirates following the 2023 season, keeping him with the organization through 2031.

Based on his contract, if Reynolds does play in the postseason, it’ll likely come as a member of the Pirates.

Despite missing the postseason in 2026, the Pirates still appear determined to compete again in 2027. Perhaps a year from now, Reynolds will finally be able to say he got a chance to play in a postseason game with Pittsburgh.