The Pittsburgh Pirates’ roster has plenty of players who could lose playing time in the very near future. Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer, and by then, the Pirates’ roster may look a lot different. They have plenty of prospects at Triple-A, with one of the most stacked rosters at that level. On top of that, they’ll have some returning faces from injuries. The Pirates have to start seeing some results from certain players by Memorial Day. If they don’t, they’re at great risk of another player replacing them and taking their playing time.
Oneil Cruz
It might be a tough pill to swallow, but Oneil Cruz has to start showing more. The slugger went into a slump at the start of summer last year and never recovered from it. From the start of June through the end of the year, Cruz owned a .181/.265/.313 triple-slash, with a .289 wOBA, and 59 wRC+. While he had a healthy 9.8% walk rate, Cruz also struck out 31.7% of the time. Cruz’s elite raw power was on full display, with a 94.4 MPH exit velocity, but he only hit eight home runs over his last 325 trips to the plate last year.
However, Cruz was a very solid batter before that. From the start of 2024 through the end of May 2025, Cruz owned a .251/.330/.457 triple-slash, leading to a solid .337 wOBA, and 114 wRC+. He had no problems turning his raw power into in-game power, with a .204 isolated slugging percentage. He was striking out less frequently, with a 30.8% K%, and walking at a higher rate of 10.1%.
As solid as these numbers were, Cruz was getting unlucky. His xSLG% came in at an impressive .487, a massive 30-point gap. This was the 17th highest xSLG% in baseball during this stretch. His xwOBA also had a significant gap of 16 percentage points, coming in at .353. The only batter with a higher exit velocity than Cruz’s 95.9 MPH mark was Aaron Judge at 96 MPH. Cruz was also tied with Cal Raleigh for fourth-best barrel percentage at 17.8%.
This isn’t from a small sample size either. This was over the course of 818 plate appearances. That’s well over a year’s worth of plate appearances. We know what Cruz is capable of. A .250 batter with 20+ home runs and a solid walk rate is totally doable for him. He looked overmatched during the summer of last year, and now is the time to turn it around, or lose playing time. He has more lineup protection this time around. However, the Pirates have plenty of outfielders waiting in the wings (like Jake Mangum, Billy Cook, and Jhostynxon Garcia) to siphon playing time from Cruz if he continues to struggle.
Carmen Mlodzinski
The Pirates are attempting to use Carmen Mlodzinski as a starter once again. They tried this at the start of last year, and it was disastrous. In nine starts, Mlodzinski pitched to a 5.67 ERA, struck out a meager 15.6% of batters faced, and had a 1.61 WHIP. His 1.13 HR/9 ratio was about league average, and he owned a healthy 6.7% walk rate as a starter. However, that’s about the only positive from his time as a starter last year.
The Pirates moved Mlodzinski back into a multi-inning/opener role, and he started to dominate again. His final 59.1 innings of the year yielded a 2.12 ERA, a significantly improved 25.5% strikeout percentage, and a 6.3% walk rate. Mlodzinski became much less home run prone, with a 0.44 HR/9 ratio. The most important thing is that his Stuff+ went from 99 as a starter to 103 as a reliever/opener.
Mlodzinski definitely pitched like he wanted another crack at the rotation in Spring Training. He pitched 12.1 innings while allowing just four earned runs. The right-hander only walked two opponents and struck out 14. His whiff rate came in at 23.7%, and his exit velocity sat at 90 MPH. He threw 200 pitches in total, which was the seventh most by any Pirates pitcher in Spring Training in 2026. That’s significantly more than the 157 he threw in Spring Training last year.
The leash on Mlodzinski needs to be short. Not only did he struggle as a starter last year, but he has a handful of pitchers ready to take his place in the rotation. Hunter Barco is in the bullpen. He is a top 100 prospect and pitched well enough last year and in Spring Training to get a look as a starter. The Pirates have three notable starters at Triple-A between Antwone Kelly, Wilber Dotel, and Thomas Harrington. Not to mention Jared Jones is returning in June. There will not be a shortage of replacements for Mlodzinski.
Nick Gonzales
Nick Gonzales is entering the year as the Pirates’ go-to answer at third base. 2025 initially looked like a breakout season for the 2020 first-round pick. He went yard in his first game of the year. But things went south as quickly as they went north. Gonzales suffered an ankle fracture rounding the bases, which kept him out for over two months.
Gonzales’ performance at the plate when he was healthy wasn’t anything to write home about. In 408 plate appearances, the infielder batted a measly .260/.299/.362 with a .289 wOBA and 82 wRC+. Although he had a strong 17.9% strikeout rate, he only drew a walk 5.1% of the time. He would only hit for home runs after his first dinger of the year, amounting to a .102 isolated slugging percentage. His defense at the keystone also received mixed reviews. He had -11 defensive runs saved, but +3 outs above average.
Gonzales’ 2024 season was not that long ago. During that year, he hit .270/.311/.398 with a 94 wRC+. He had a .307 wOBA, but his .322 xwOBA indicated some bad luck played a role in his performance at the dish. He also had respectable .415 xSLG%. Both were above the 50th percentile of batters in 2024.
If Gonzales doesn’t improve, both in terms of his glove work and/or with his bat, Konnor Griffin is going to replace him sooner rather than later. That moves Jared Triolo back to third base, with Griffin taking over at shortstop. For what it’s worth, Gonzales is off to a strong start to 2025. He has four hits in ten trips to the plate. However, he has to continue producing or get optioned for another player.
Nick Yorke
Nick Yorke was also a 2020 first-round pick and acquired by the Pirates at the 2024 trade deadline. He is coming off a 2025 season where he spent most of the year at Triple-A. He put up solid numbers, slashing .287/.348/.406 with a 104 wRC+. Yorke only hit seven home runs over 440 plate appearances. He also owned a 22% strikeout rate and 8.2% walk rate. The utility prospect also has 114 plate appearances heading into 2026, but a meager 68 wRC+ in the small sample size.
However, like Gonzales, Yorke also isn’t far removed from a strong 2024. He batted .303/.385/.449 with a .377 wOBA, and 127 wRC+ over 546 plate appearances. He hit for far more power, however, with a dozen home runs. Yorke also showed off some impressive raw power, with an exit velocity over 91 MPH at Triple-A. His 91.5 MPH EV at the highest level of the minor leagues was the tenth best among batters who had at least 250 plate appearances. Yorke also only struck out 18.9% of the time with a whiff rate of just 20.8% at Triple-A, and walked in 11.1% of his plate appearances.
Yorke brings more versatility to the table than Gonzales. He is primarily a second baseman, but has experience at both infield corners and outfield corners. Yorke made his 2026 MLB debut at right field for the Pirates. He hasn’t played shortstop in a regular season game since 2024, and has only played there in parts of seven contests, but he likely will take up the position if the need arises. His utility gives him a leg-up on Gonzales.
However, like Gonzales, he still needs to perform. With Griffin up and coming, someone will be the odd man out on the bench. Both Gonzales and Yorke play similar positions. Even then, Yorke may get replaced by Garcia or Esmerlyn Valdez if the Pirates continue to use him in the outfield and he struggles at the plate.
Jose Urquidy
The Pirates signed Jose Urquidy to a Major League deal before Spring Training. Urquidy was once a solid member of the Houston Astros’ rotation. He pitched to a 3.74 ERA, 4.35 FIP, and 1.09 WHIP in 342 innings from 2019 through 2022. Although Urquidy did not get many strikeouts (20.3% K%) and had only a 1.43 HR/9 ratio, he was very good at limiting walks. His 5.2% BB% was the 13th lowest of any pitcher who threw at least 300 innings between 2019 and 2022.
Urquidy started 2023 ice-cold. The right-hander owned an ERA and FIP over 5.00 throughout 2023. Urquidy struggled so badly that he was eventually moved to the bullpen. However, this is when the injuries began piling up for Urquidy. He missed May through August with shoulder problems. He was set to return for 2024, but underwent Tommy John surgery. The Astros then turned down Urquidy’s option for 2025.
The Detroit Tigers then picked Urquidy up, but he only pitched 2.1 innings in the Major Leagues. He spent most of the year rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. Most of his playing time was spent in the minor leagues. He only pitched 21.1 innings during his rehab. The results were solid, as Urquidy put up a 2.91 ERA, with 18 strikeouts, and only five walks. However, the Tigers opted to turn down Urquidy’s team option for 2026.
Urquidy struggled in Spring Training with the Pirates, but he still made the Pirates’ roster as a long reliever. While Urquidy was once a solid middle-rotation arm, he last pitched 100 innings in 2022. The right-hander isn’t even the Pirates’ only long reliever. They also have top prospect Barco on hand. Brandan Bidois and Evan Sisk are also ready to take Urquidy’s spot in the bullpen. By late May, Jones will likely start his rehab, making Urquidy’s seat even hotter.
Main Photo Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
