Pittsburgh Pirates Insider Drops Concerning Paul Skenes Update

Over the last couple of years, Pittsburgh Pirates ace pitcher Paul Skenes has taken Major League Baseball by storm. He has been on a historical trajectory to begin his career.

Unfortunately, the 2026 season has come with struggles for Skenes. Let's take a look back at his career ahead of this year and then see just how rough the current campaign has truly been.

During his rookie year back in 2024, Skenes ended up making 23 starts. He compiled an 11-3 record to go along with a 1.96 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP, a 5.3 K/BB ratio, 133 innings pitched, and an 11.5 K/9. Those numbers put him on the fast track to stardom.

Skenes' second season did not disappoint at all. He picked up where he left off in 2024, starting in 32 games and going 10-10 with a 1.97 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP, a 5.1 K/BB ratio, 187.2 innings pitched, and a 10.4 K/9.

This season, the story has been a bit different. Skenes has not looked like the version of himself that fans saw throughout his first two years in Major League Baseball.

In 24 starts this season, Skenes has gone 9-10. However, his ERA has jumped to 3.96 and his WHIP has gone up to 1.12. He has a 4.5 K/BB ratio in 129.2 innings and an 11.2 K/9.

Fans have been concerned about the dip in production for Skenes. Now, a longtime insider covering the Pirates has spoken out about why the struggles could be happening.

According to John Perrotto, as shared by Andrew Fillipponi, Skenes' weight gain has been causing problems for him.

"Report: A new theory as to why Paul Skenes might be struggling is that some inside baseball believe he's gained too much weight. He's gotten heavier. Per the reporting of Pittsburgh's MLB insider John Perrotto," Fillipponi wrote on X.

"Honestly Paul Skenes is so broken right now I'll listen to any theory on why he's not the same guy this year."

At the end of the day, players go through bad stretches and seasons. There is no reason to panic about Skenes just yet. But, if his weight increase is causing the issues, he'll need to get things under control quickly.

Pittsburgh looked the part of a potential playoff team throughout the first half of the season. As of late, the Pirates have been suffering through a collapse. They are just 58-62 and have lost five of their last six games.

Hopefully, Skenes is able to begin getting back on track throughout the final stages of the 2026 season. If not, the hope is that Pittsburgh will see him back to his dominant self for next year.