Pirates Lock in Opening Day Roster for 2026 Season

It's March 25th.

From daily matchups to big moments, this is MLB news today, powered by AI.

The Pittsburgh pirates have locked in their opening day roster for the 2026 season,

with 26 players ready to roll just hours before first pitch.

They'll face the New York Mets on the road on March 26th at 1.15pm, broadcast nationally

on NBC, and star pitcher Paul Schienz takes, the mound for the buckles.

The pitching staff features 13 arms, including a rotation anchor by Schienz, veteran Mitch

Keller, rookies Braxton Ashcraft, and Bova Chandler, and Carmen Modezinski, earning the

fifth starter spot.

The bullpin rounds out with lefties, like Hunter Barco and Gregory Soto, plus right handers,

including Justin Lawrence and Dennis Santana, finalized.

After optioning Mike Clevenger and slotting in a couple of bulk guys, position players

bring a mix of holdovers and fresh faces among the 13 spots.

Catchers Joey Bar and Henry Davis return, alongside infielders like Nick Gonzalez and

Jared Trio low, while outfielders Brian Reynolds and O'Neill Cruz, anchor, the group.

Key offseason pickups includes second baseman Brandon Low and outfielder Jake Mangum from

a race trade, free agents Ryan O'Hern and designated hitter, Marcel O'Zuna, plus rookies

Billy Cook and Nick York making the cut, coming off a stellar 2025 where they led baseball

with 19 shutouts and the seventh best ERA at 376, the pirates.

Lean hard on pitching, but struggle defensively.

Now with these line of boosts, they're counting on more pop at the plate to push toward the

playoffs.

This revamped squad sets the stage for big things in Pittsburgh as the season gets underway.