The Pittsburgh Pirates' roster is set at begin the 2026 MLB season.
For the first time in what feels like a decade, the Pittsburgh Pirates will enter the new season with what feels like true aspirations of possibly reaching the playoffs.
As the Pirates get ready to start the 2026 MLB season, the team announced its Opening Day lineup on the eve of the first game of the year.
Here is the group of players Pittsburgh will be going into the season with:
Position Players
C Joey Bart
OF Billy Cook
OF Oneil Cruz
C Henry Davis
INF Nick Gonzales
INF Spencer Horwitz
INF Brandon Lowe
OF Jake Mangum
1B/OF Ryan O’Hearn
DH Marcell Ozuna
OF Bryan Reynolds
INF/OF Nick Yorke
Pitchers
RHP Braxton Ashcraft
LHP Bubba Chandler
RHP Mitch Keller
RHP Justin Lawrence
RHP Isaac Mattson
RHP Carmen Mlodzinski
LHP Mason Montgomery
RHP Yohan Ramirez
RHP Dennis Santana
RHP Paul Skenes
LHP Gregory Soto
RHP Jose Urquidy
Sep 20, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Bryan Reynolds (10) and second baseman Nick Yorke (38) celebrate after defeating the Athletics at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn ImagesEven just taking a quick look at the roster the Pirates will begin the season with, the team has made a significant jump in proven hitters in the lineup. Brandon Lowe, Ryan O’Hearn, and Marcell Ozuna will undoubtedly give the
In 2025, the Pirates had a team OPS of .655, which ranked last in MLB. If this team stays healthy, they should be better than that, thanks to the newcomers and development from the young players. Plus, the top prospect, Konnor Griffin, could make his big league debut shortly after the season begins, which will add another offensive threat to the lineup.
As for the pitching, the Pirates enter the season with one of the better rotations in baseball, led by Paul Skenes, and will only get better once Jared Jones is healthy (60-day injured list). Looking at the bullpen, Pittsburgh arguably has one of the more underrated reliever cores with Dennis Santana and Gregory Soto giving Don Kelly options in save and high-leverage situations.
Will this roster be good enough to compete in the National League Central and get into the playoffs, possibly as a Wild Card team? Time will tell, but their journey starts on Thursday.
The only decision left for Pittsburgh’s skipper to determine is what his first lineup of the new season will look like.
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