Pittsburgh

Pirates

No one was expecting Chandler to limit walks this season like he stunningly did in his major league debut last year (4 BB in 31 1/3 IP), but he’s now at 10 through 8 2/3 innings in his two starts after also walking 11 batters in 11 innings this spring. It’s a testament to his stuff that he currently has a 3.12 ERA anyway, but something has to give. It’s probably fine to keep viewing him as a top-50 SP at the moment, but it’s also no sure thing he’s still going to be in the majors come May 1.

Griffin’s only hit in four games was the RBI double he had against the Orioles in his first major league at-bat. His two balls in play today were a 66-mph groundout and a 51-mph flyout against Germán Márquez. It’ll be interesting to see if the Pirates want to give him a day off before their scheduled off day on Thursday.

It’s hardly unprecedented for a top prospect to struggle upon their first exposure to the big leagues, especially one who is still a literal teenager. Griffin is one of the most talented all-around shortstops to debut in years but it might take him some time to find his footing. The 19-year-old prodigy has gone 1-for-9 with two walks and a pair of strikeouts in three games since arriving in the majors last Friday. The Pirates are going to take some of the pressure off him by having him hit near the bottom of the order while he acclimates to everyday life at the highest level.

O’Hearn got the party started in the opening inning, crushing a 3-0 fastball from Chris Bassitt for a 402-foot (103.8 mph EV) two-run shot. He then capped off a four-run uprising in the second inning with a two-run double. The 32-year-old slugger finished the afternoon 2-for-5 and is now hitting a robust .367/.459/.700 with three long balls and 11 RBI on the season.

Cruz was hit by a pitch to start the game for the Pirates but was then doubled off on a line drive. He then plated a run with an RBI infield single in the third inning and raced around to score on a two-run double off the bat of Ryan O’Hearn. Cruz did the bulk of his damage in the sixth, clobbering a 415-foot (107.2 mph EV) two-run shot off of Cade Povich that increased the Pirates’ lead to 8-1. He’s off to an outstanding start to the 2026 campaign, slashing .314/.368/.657 with four homers and 10 RBI, though he has yet to steal a base.

Mangum reached on a bunt single to load the bases in the second inning then scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Bryan Reynolds. He then led off the sixth inning with a single and rode home on Oneil Cruz’s two-run blast. He’s now hitting .261 (6-for-23) with zero homers and one RBI in the early going of the 2026 season.

Ashcraft scattered just four hits on the afternoon and didn’t allow a base on balls. The only blemish on the 26-year-old hurler’s day came on an RBI double by Pete Alonso in the fourth inning. Ashcraft generated nine swings and misses on 87 pitches on the day, registering a CSW of 29 percent. He’ll carry a strong 2.25 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and an 11/4 K/BB ratio (12 innings) into Saturday’s matchup against the Cubs in Chicago. At this point, he probably deserves consideration in all mixed leagues.

Cook was just optioned out to Triple-A on Thursday, but he’ll return with Jared Triolo (knee) landing on the 10-day injured list. While he’s a nice depth piece for the Pirates, he isn’t likely to see enough playing time to gain any sort of relevancy from a fantasy perspective.

Triolo sustained the injury during Saturday’s game. While the severity of the injury is not yet known, it sure sounds like Triolo will be shelved for a while. Billy Cook was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis to take his place on the Pirates’ active roster.

Reynolds knocked a base hit in the first inning, then reached on an error and scored in the fourth. After drawing a walk in the fifth, he doubled in the bottom of the ninth and scored the game-winning, walk-off run on a double by Nick Yorke. The 31-year-old outfielder is 8-for-34 (.235) with a pair of homers in the early going.