That the Pittsburgh Pirates are struggling offensively is an understatement that was exposed Sunday, when they started a lineup against Hunter Greene with six players batting below the Mendoza Line.
And that doesn’t count Oneil Cruz, whose batting average dipped below .200 after going 0 for 3 in a 4-0 loss at the Cincinnati Reds. No wonder the Pirates were shut out for the second time this season and scored only five runs on 10 hits over the three-game series sweep.
The Pirates rank dead last in the majors in multiple offensive categories — batting average (.184), slugging percentage (.290) and OPS (.563) — and among the bottom five in strikeouts, hits, on-base percentage, home runs, runs scored and RBIs.
Before their 4-0 loss to the Reds on Sunday, general manager Ben Cherington discussed on his weekly radio show his belief that this is the deepest group of position players at the upper levels of the system that the Pirates have had since 2020 but lamented the rash of injuries.
The Pirates have projected starters at first base (Spencer Horwitz), second base (Nick Gonzales) and a Gold Glove utility player (Jared Triolo) on the injured list, not to mention starting pitchers Jared Jones and Johan Oviedo and setup man Colin Holderman.
The Pirates (5-11) return to PNC Park for a seven-game homestand against the Washington Nationals and Cleveland Guardians in last place in the NL Central, five games behind the first-place Chicago Cubs (11-7) and two-and-a-half games behind the fourth-place St. Louis Cardinals (7-8).
With Bryan Reynolds limited to designated hitter while dealing with a shoulder injury, Cherington never imagined the Pirates would be missing so many key contributors entering a divisional series so early. And he couldn’t help but wonder where they would be if healthy.
“We haven’t had the full complement of those players to lean on so far earlier in the season,” Cherington said on 93.7 The Fan. “It’s not intended to be an excuse. You’ve got to find a way to win. Other guys have to step up. All those things are true and we believe in. It’s just to state a fact: We are missing a lot of guys that we might be able to depend on to deepen our lineup. We’re looking forward to getting some of those guys back.”
It would help if the Pirates started a representative lineup instead of a Sunday special. Joey Bart, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Andrew McCutchen and Tommy Pham didn’t play Sunday against the Reds.
Where the Pirates were 11-5 through the first 16 games last season, it should be remembered that their fast start was followed by the bottom dropping out. They endured a six-game losing streak on their way to losing 14 of the next 17 games. They were 55-52 at the trade deadline, so a turnaround isn’t entirely out of the question.
But their offense must start showing some signs of life.
1. Bart’s back: Cherington said catcher Joey Bart has “responded really well” since he was removed from Friday’s game when his back locked up on him. Cherington said the Pirates will try to keep Bart off the injured list, which is why they optioned right-handed reliever Chase Shugart when recalling Henry Davis.
Bart leads the Pirates with a .275/.370/.425 slash line and provides a power presence to the middle of the order. He has a double, a triple, a home run and five RBIs in 12 games and delivered a walk-off single in the 13th inning of a 2-1 win over the Cardinals last Wednesday.
“Joey’s been a big addition,” Cherington said. “Don’t even really feel like he’s truly gotten hot offensively yet — and yet he’s already had some big at-bats and big moments and driven in runners in key situations. He’s a big part of that lineup.”
2. Ready or not: Bart’s back probably wouldn’t be an issue if Endy Rodriguez hadn’t collided with him while pursuing a pop-up in front of home plate in the eighth inning Wednesday.
After starting 57 games in 2023, Rodriguez missed the majority of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right (throwing) elbow. Out of necessity, Rodriguez has played in 14 of the first 16 games, starting nine at first base and four at catcher.
“I keep reminding myself that this is a guy who missed a full season — and who had not been a fully proven major leaguer even before that,” Cherington said. “He comes into 2025 not only coming off a fully missed season but with a really big job description.”
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Cherington ticked off a list: Rodriguez has to put in extra preparation as a switch hitter, a catcher who has been the battery mate for Paul Skenes’ past two starts and a first baseman who played the position only one game in spring training.
“It’s a big job description for a young player,” Cherington said. “The only reason that we were comfortable with considering that this season is because of how much faith we have in Endy, his baseball instincts, his energy, his desire for more, his desire to compete. This is a kid who loves the game.”
Rodriguez is scuffling at the plate, batting .178 with a .504 OPS, three doubles, two RBIs and12 strikeouts against five walks. He’s batting .300 against lefties but is having trouble against right-handed pitching, hitting .143 with eight strikeouts and four walks.
Even so, Cherington remains encouraged by how Rodriguez is managing the strike zone.
“What we’re seeing so far is a really talented young player who’s working himself back into the major leagues,” Cherington said. “He really hasn’t gotten unlocked totally offensively, in terms of production, but he’s starting to hit some balls hard. … We’re asking a lot of this young player. We really believe in him. He’s the type of guy that’s going to keep getting better as the season goes on.”
3. Catching up: Between Bart’s back issue and the need for Rodriguez to play first base, the Pirates opened the door for Henry Davis to return to the majors.
The 2021 No. 1 overall pick was batting .286/.355/.393 with three doubles and two RBIs in eight games at Triple-A Indianapolis, but it’s his play behind the plate that is getting attention.
“Henry Davis has absolutely made himself into a bona fide major league defensive catcher,” Cherington said. “He’s now going through some offensive adjustments that many young players have to make when they’re challenged by major league pitching. We’re seeing good signs while he’s (been) in Triple-A. Henry’s such a hard worker. He’s bound to do that over time.”
Davis didn’t hit a ball out of the infield in six at-bats between Saturday and Sunday, though Reds second baseman Santiago Espinal robbed him of a base hit and RBI by making a leaping catch with Isiah Kiner-Falefa on third to end the second inning.
As much as Cherington said it’s hard for a team to carry four catchers on its 40-man roster, it’s even more challenging to have three on the 26-man active roster.
It will be interesting to see what the Pirates do if Bart is ready to return, given their need for a backup catcher if Rodriguez is playing first base. Triolo is eligible to return from the IL on Wednesday but will likely require a rehabilitation assignment.
4. Getting squeezed: When Reynolds is ready to return to playing right field, it could cause a roster crunch that might force them to make a decision on Alexander Canario.
Cherington noted that the 24-year-old Dominican is out of minor league options, which has caused him to be a roster casualty with the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs and New York Mets.
The Pirates like the 6-foot-1, 215-pounder’s potential at the plate. Cherington noted that he has “huge power” and they like his swing and how he hits the ball “really hard,” as evidenced by his 402-foot solo homer Friday that had an exit velocity of 105.3 mph.
But he’s batting .105 in eight games, and it sounded like Canario could be the odd man out in an outfield that has Cruz, Reynolds, Pham, McCutchen and Suwinski.
“He is a player who, in a perfect world, probably needs regular playing time to get unlocked. That’s difficult to provide,” Cherington said. “He’s got some opportunity through injuries. … In his case, he can’t be sent to Triple-A so we’re trying to give him as much opportunity as we can. He’s got a lot of talent but it’s also the big leagues. We can’t just give playing time.”
Cherington also admitted that the Pirates were pressed into calling up Tsung-Che Cheng earlier than preferred because of the need for a backup shortstop with Triolo and Gonzales on the IL.
“He can definitely play shortstop defensively, no question about that. He’s arguably already an above-average shortstop,” Cherington said, adding that Cheng is still working on his offensive game and was expected to spend the season at Indy. “But once you’re in Triple-A, things are going to happen. He’s getting that chance to play, first experience in the major leagues. Whatever happens, he’ll benefit from that.”
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5. Heating up: As much as Cherington is getting grilled for his roster construction, Pirates manager Derek Shelton is under fire from the fan base for not just the slow start but sloppy play.
Shelton’s next win will be his 300th, which would make him the 12th manager in franchise history to reach that milestone.
But with a 299-425 career record in 724 games as Pirates manager, Shelton is on the hot seat — and it’s only getting hotter.
Fans were patient through a roster teardown and rebuild that involved back-to-back 100-loss seasons. Amid an NL-best 20-8 start in 2023, Shelton earned a contract extension. But the 10-game losing streak and collapse out of wild-card contention last August had fans calling for his firing. After he was booed during Opening Day introductions, the Pirates stopped announcing his name with the starting lineup during the last homestand.
Shelton’s place in history doesn’t help. Of the 216 managers with at least 700 games, Shelton’s .413 winning percentage ranks 212th. Of the 368 managers in MLB history, he ranks 342nd.
That’s one spot ahead of Billy Meyer, who went 317-452 (.412) from 1948-52 — only to have his No. 1 jersey retired by the Pirates.