The Pittsburgh Pirates are getting closer to wrapping up their 2026 season after they were eliminated from postseason contention earlier this week.

Two games remain before the Pirates officially start their postseason, but Pittsburgh is still making roster moves that could help now and hint at plans for 2027, too.

Here are the transactions the organization made ahead of Saturday’s matchup against the Detroit Tigers.

The Pirates have recalled Hunter Barco from Triple-A for the second-to-last game of the 2026 season. In fact, the 25-year-old is even set to open up for Pittsburgh during their matchup against the Detroit Tigers.

Barco has only pitched in seven games with the Pirates in 2026. In those outings, he owns a 7.64 ERA and 1.92 WHIP while giving up a lot of hard contact.

The MLB numbers aren’t great, but the pitching prospect still has a chance to be a building block for Pittsburgh’s pitching staff moving forward. Barco has had a strong Minor League season, logging a 3.79 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in 21 outings (14 starts).

With the Pirates bringing him up to big-league level for a start so late into the season, this could be a sign that Pittsburgh is hoping that he’ll be a key contributor in some fashion for the 2027 season.

Even though the Pirates are out of playoff contention, tuning in to game 161 simply to see how Barco pitches will be worth it.

To clear up a spot for Barco, the Pirates decided to option RHP Wilber Dotel to the Rookie-Level FCL Pirates.

Dotel has actually played a pretty key role for the Pirates' pitching staff throughout the 2026 season. He’s appeared in 22 games (two starts) for Pittsburgh throughout the season and owns a 4.46 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP.

The 24-year-old’s advanced numbers are actually pretty encouraging, too. Both his strikeout rate and walk rate are right at league average, and Dotel’s average fastball velocity of 98.3 mph is in the 95th percentile. What the right-hander does need to work on, though, is not giving up as much hard contact.

Dotel most recently appeared in a Pittsburgh loss to the Tigers on Friday evening, throwing three innings and giving up one earned run. Since he threw 47 pitches, Dotel will likely not be available to pitch in either of the last two games of the season.

It only made sense to option him and get a fresh arm in the bullpen, and that came in the form of Barco.