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Pirates' Bubba Chandler: Fans six in no-decision Saturday
Rotowire
Chandler didn't factor into the decision in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Brewers, giving up two runs on five hits and three walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out six.
It was a slightly better effort for Chandler after he failed to strike out a batter and coughed up four runs in four innings in his prior start, but the 23-year-old right-hander is still struggling to find some consistency. He heads into the All-Star break with a 4.77 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 85:55 K:BB through 94.1 innings.
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Pirates' Esmerlyn Valdez: Huge day in twin bill sweep
Rotowire
Valdez went 4-for-8 with three home runs and eight RBI Saturday as the Pirates swept a doubleheader against the Brewers.
The rookie outfielder went yard twice in the matinee and produced the game-winning runs in the seventh inning with a grand slam off Aaron Ashby, then got the Bucs on the board in the fourth inning of the nightcap with a two-run shot off Shane Drohan. Valdez is up to 10 homers in his first 26 big-league games with 26 RBI and a dazzling .311/.370/.722 slash line.
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Pirates' Gregory Soto: Secures 12th save
Rotowire
Soto recorded his 12th save of the season in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Brewers, giving up a hit and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning. He failed to strike out a batter.
The veteran lefty collected his first save since June 16 as he tried to remain in the late-inning picture for Pittsburgh. Despite Soto's clean effort Saturday, he's been tagged for runs in six of 13 appearances since the beginning of June, stumbling to an 8.76 ERA, 1.78 WHIP and 12:6 K:BB over 12.1 innings during that span.
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Pirates' Braxton Ashcraft: Hit hard in no-decision Saturday
Rotowire
Ashcraft didn't factor into the decision in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Brewers, coughing up five runs on five hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out six.
All five hits off Ashcraft went for extra bases, including homers by Jake Bauers in the second inning and Sal Frelick in the fifth. The right-hander has served up six long balls in his last three starts as he shows signs of fatigue -- Ashcraft's tossed 113.1 innings already this season, nearly matching the 118 innings he tossed all of last season between Triple-A and the majors. Despite the swoon before the All-Star break, he still sports a 3.49 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 128:27 K:BB on the year.
The Pirates selected Giles with the No. 108 overall pick in the 2026 First-Year Player Draft.
Giles can hit to all fields and appears to be more of a contact than power hitter, though he still has some pop. He doesn't have elite speed but could have enough to play center field if he develops right.
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Pirates' Jason DeCaro: Lands with Pittsburgh
Rotowire
The Pirates selected DeCaro with the No. 80 overall pick in the 2026 First-Year Player Draft.
While the Tar Heel hasn't missed a ton of bats, he keeps hitters off balance with his sequencing. Perhaps the ceiling is questionable, but DeCaro projects as a high-floor prospect for Pittsburgh.
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Pirates' Chris Rembert: Second-round pick by Pittsburgh
Rotowire
The Pirates selected Rembert with the No. 51 overall pick in the 2026 First-Year Player Draft.
Rembert's hitting ability is strong, but there are questions about the rest of his profile. The Auburn product is listed as a 5-foot-11, 209-pound right-right second baseman.
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Pirates' Aiden Ruiz: Popped by Pirates
Rotowire
The Pirates selected Ruiz with the No. 44 overall pick in the 2026 First-Year Player Draft.
A magician with a plus arm at shortstop, Ruiz might be the best defender to come off the board on Day One. Unfortunately, the undersized switch hitter from New York doesn't bring much offensive impact to the table. At 5-foot-10, 168 pounds, the Vandy commit doesn't project to grow into much power, although he might be able to make enough contact to be a No. 9 hitter in the majors some day. His above-average speed could make him a cheap source of stolen bases in time.
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Pirates' Jake Mangum: Resting during Game 2
Rotowire
Mangum isn't in the lineup for the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Brewers.
After going 1-for-3 with two runs scored during a victory in Game 1, Mangum will grab a seat on the bench to begin the nightcap. Bryan Reynolds, Billy Cook and Esmerlyn Valdez will form the Pirates' outfield trio while Mangum sits.
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Pirates' Henry Davis: Sitting during nightcap
Rotowire
Davis isn't in the lineup for the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Brewers.
Davis went 1-for-2 with a run and a pair of walks during the first half of the twin bill, and he'll now get a chance to rest during the final game. Rafael Flores will start at catcher and bat seventh.
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Pirates' Noah Murdock: Up as 27th man
Rotowire
Murdock was added to the active roster as Pittsburgh's 27th man for Saturday's doubleheader against Milwaukee.
Murdock has spent the entire 2026 campaign in the minors and owns a 3.45 ERA through 15.2 innings at Triple-A Indianapolis. He'll now join the big club for the first time this year to add depth to the Pirates' bullpen for the second game of the twin bill, and he'll likely be sent back down to Triple-A once Saturday's festivities are complete.
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Pirates' Jack Brannigan: Relegated to Indianapolis
Rotowire
The Pirates optioned Brannigan to Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday.
Brannigan struck out in his lone plate appearance after getting called up from Triple-A on Tuesday, and he'll now return to the minors in order to make room for new acquisition Jacob Gonzalez. Brannigan, 25, has slashed .219/.341/.478 in 213 plate appearances across all five levels of Pittsburgh's farm system this season.
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Pirates' Thomas Harrington: Back in Indy
Rotowire
The Pirates optioned Harrington to Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday.
Just a day after joining the active roster, Harrington will now be sent back to the minor leagues without making an appearance for the big club. The 24-year-old has amassed a 6.38 ERA and 1.60 WHIP through 55 innings at Triple-A this season and will likely spend the remainder of the year working as organizational depth.
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Pirates' Jacob Gonzalez: Added to active roster
Rotowire
The Pirates activated Gonzalez to the major-league roster Saturday.
Gonzalez had been at Triple-A when the White Sox traded him to Pittsburgh on Friday, but he'll officially return to the majors to begin his tenure with the Pirates. He won't be in the lineup for the final game of Saturday's doubleheader, though Injuries to Spencer Horwitz (hamstring) and Konnor Griffin (finger) could open up opportunities for Gonzalez to get starting reps with Pittsburgh.
The Pirates selected Curiel with the fifth overall pick in the 2026 First-Year Player Draft.
A glove-first center fielder from LSU, Curiel is also firmly hit-over-power. Despite his quality center-field defense, Curiel is just an above-average runner, with his excellent instincts carrying that aspect of his profile. He also has a fringe-average arm to go with fringe-average raw power. Curiel hit .349 in college with 13 homers and 16 steals in 126 games. He cut his strikeout rate from 17.3 percent as a freshman to 15.7 percent as a draft-eligible sophomore. Curiel has good size at 6-foot-2, 192 pounds, and it's possible he'll be able to unlock another level as a power hitter with pro instruction, but as things stand, he's a better real-life prospect than a fantasy one.
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Pirates' Konnor Griffin: Moved to 60-day IL
Rotowire
The Pirates transferred Griffin (finger) to the 60-day injured list Saturday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.
Griffin was given an 8-to-10-week return timeline when he landed on the injured list Tuesday with a torn tendon in his left ring finger, so the Pirates will stash him away on the 60-day IL, which makes him ineligible for activation until Sept. 4 at the earliest. The move opens up a spot on the 40-man roster to help make room for Brandon Eisert and Jacob Gonzalez, both of whom were acquired in a trade with the White Sox on Friday.
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Pirates' Cam Sanders: Pushed off 40-man
Rotowire
The Pirates designated Sanders for assignment Saturday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.
A day after losing his place on the active roster, Sanders will now also be removed from the 40-man to help create space for new acquisitions Brandon Eisert and Jacob Gonzalez. Sanders has struggled in the big leagues up to this point but owns a 2.96 ERA through 24.1 innings in the minors, which could draw interest on the waiver wire from bullpen-needy teams.
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