PIRATES

Aside from one 13-day stint on the injured list with the Royals back in July 2020, Ryan O’Hearn has dealt with a clean bill of health. 

That’s what makes this current stint on the IL, one that sees O’Hearn dealing with a quad injury, so strange and unfamiliar. 

“I feel worthless, but I think I’m healing pretty good and I’m really looking forward to coming back,” said O’Hearn, who is with the team on their current road trip. “It all feels pretty normal until the game. Instead of hitting and taking ground balls, I’m doing stuff in the training room and with the strength coaches. But, I’m definitely glad that I’m on the road.” 

While O’Hearn isn’t on the field building on what has been a rather excellent start to his Pirates career, there’s value in him still making his presence felt in the clubhouse. 

Talking to guys like Billy Cook and Jake Mangum, they certainly see the benefit of having O’Hearn, a player with plenty of veteran experience, around the group while he works his way back to full health. 

“Ryan is obviously a huge piece of this team and having him here is just a little bit normal, ya know?” Mangum told me. “Everything feels normal. We hate him not being able to be out there and help us win games because that’s what he does really well. But, he’s a great teammate and someone we definitely need in the dugout and need in the clubhouse.” 

This is all new to O’Hearn, but he told me he’s trying to treat things as normal as possible as he goes through the recovery process. 

“In the dugout, picking guys up, talking to them about the pitcher, things like that, just helping out any way I possibly can,” O’Hearn said. “I’m happy to be on the road with the guys, but, obviously, I want to be out there. Just kind of dealing with that. It’s the first time I’ve been on the IL (in a while), so it’s definitely a new experience.” 

While Ben Cherington described O’Hearn’s injury on Sunday as being on the moderate side and insinuated it could be a “four-week thing,” O’Hearn told me he’s optimistic that he could be back sooner than the timeframe that’s been floated around. 

“Kind of testing it and seeing where we’re at,” he said. “Treat it, test it, and I think so far, it’s going good.” 

MORE PIRATES

• In regard to the bullpen issues, the current focus is on internal improvement and internal reinforcements. There’s trust within the group of relievers and an internal belief that the group is capable of much more. Plus, there’s belief in the depth that exists among pitchers who have yet to arrive in Pittsburgh. Cherington recently alluded to the volatility of bullpens and how sometimes the best thing to do is wait things out. That’s not to say external additions won’t be a part of the plan. Cherington said on Sunday that the club is engaged and will be ready to pounce if there’s an opportunity to add to the team. But this is seemingly the time of year where teams are feeling each other out and getting a grasp of what the market is like rather than pulling the trigger on significant transactions. — By José Negron

• Cook is being optioned to Class AAA Indianapolis, but his role during his time in the majors wasn’t one that he’s been accustomed to in the past. During his time in the minor leagues, he was starting every day and benefitting from the high number of at-bats he’d receive over the course of a long season. 

With the Pirates, his playing time was limited. He received just 21 plate appearances in the 32 games he appeared in, serving mostly in a late-game pinch-runner/defensive substitution capacity. 

Cook admits the preparation was certainly different, but he didn’t have issues preparing himself for duties on the basepaths or in the outfield. The challenging part was making sure he was prepared for any opportunity to hit that might come his way. 

“It’s all about getting in the cage and finding a good routine, and I think I'm starting to get one,” Cook told me. “It's harder on the road, but the Trajekt (machine) makes it easy at home to at least see some ‘live pitching.’ Just figuring out how to replicate a game environment as close as possible. It’s taken some adjusting and everything, but the whole goal is to just be ready, because you never know when it's going to be.” 

Cook never once showed displeasure with his lack of playing time. He embraced any opportunity to help the team. But he also says he would have liked to capitalize on more of the opportunities he was given. 

“I think I'm in a better spot now than I was a few weeks ago in terms of that,” Cook said. “But it’s all just a part of my role, and everybody has played theirs really well.” — By José Negron

STEELERS

• Aaron Rodgers is back, and earned himself a hefty pay raise. After earning $14.15 million in 2025, Rodgers will earn a guaranteed $22 million this season. He has a chance to earn as much as $25 million through various incentives, maxing out if he gets the Steelers to the top of the mountain, winning Super Bowl XLI.

While it's been speculated that Rodgers' lengthy process of making his decision to return has been about money, I've been told by sources that money was far from the deciding factor. This has not only been repeated to me consistently over the past few months, but reinforced again this week now that Rodgers is officially back.

One source explained it by saying, "It's all about if he wants to play or not," while another source said the money would just be something that would come together once they knew he decided to come back. All sources have indicated money was not the reason why it took so long for Rodgers to decide to come back.

While the increase in pay seems like a massive number, it's really not. The average annual value (AAV) on Rodgers' contract ranks 17th among all quarterbacks in the NFL, tied with Malik Willis, who just signed with the Dolphins in free agency. All but three of the starting quarterbacks ranked below Rodgers, including Cam Ward, Caleb Williams, Bryce Young, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, C.J. Stroud, Michael Penix Jr., Bo Nix, Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough and Fernando Mendoza, are all on their rookie contracts. The only three projected starters that aren't on rookie deals are Jacoby Brissett, Geno Smith and Kyler Murray -- not exactly the caliber of quarterbacks that should be in the same ballpark as Rodgers. And of the 16 established starters ahead of Rodgers, the lowest AAV belongs to Baker Mayfield at $33.3 million and soars all the way up to Dak Prescott and $60 million.

So, yeah, Rodgers wasn't holding out for money. This was really about if he wanted to put his 42-year-old body through the rigors of a 22nd NFL season. -- By Chris Halicke in Pittsburgh

• I have no indication at this time if Joey Porter Jr.'s lack of participation in OTAs is a true sign of a hold in over a contract extension. However, I can say there are some in the organization that believe Porter will be the most difficult contract to negotiate. Porter is an ascending cornerback, ranking in the same stratosphere as the elite cornerbacks in today's game. He's really good, and he knows he's really good. Don't be surprised if this negotiation drags on throughout the summer. -- Chris Halicke

• The decision to move Troy Fautanu to left tackle -- though this is not yet chiseled in stone -- is mainly because of the uncertainty surrounding Broderick Jones' rehab. The Steelers still have zero indication of what Jones' timeline is. Their thought process is to put their best tackle on the left side, which just so happens to be a guy who has multiple years of starting experience at the position (two-plus years at the University of Washington). -- Chris Halicke

• I wouldn't be surprised to see Max Iheanachor get some reps on the left side. At this point, I still believe Iheanachor will stick on the right side, but this coaching staff really wants to cross-train these offensive linemen to play multiple spots. -- Chris Halicke

• Cross-training is happening all over the roster. The coaches have been open about that, especially on the wide receivers and offensive line. However, it's also happening on the defensive line, too. From what I can report on from practice, I have Keeanu Benton playing both nose tackle and defensive end in the base 3-4 front. Yahya Black also appears to be lining up as a nose tackle more often, too. And, I don't expect these to be OTA-only rotations. I expect Benton to be moved around more often and have Black try to settle in more as a nose tackle or at least closer to the inside. -- Chris Halicke

• Without getting too much into specifics, things are different under Mike McCarthy -- very different. The structure of practice, the look of it, the sound of it -- it's so unfamiliar compared to what Mike Tomlin was doing before. Not sure how that'll translate to on-field success, but for an organization that desperately needed some change, McCarthy definitely delivered on that front. Fans should get a real taste of it come training camp. -- Chris Halicke

PENGUINS

• Matt Cullen is no longer with the Penguins' front office. Since 2019, he had served as a development coach from his home in Moorhead, Minn., working with players remotely and making several trips to Pittsburgh each year for in-person sessions. He balanced that role with other commitments, including serving as a minority owner and development coach for the USHL's Fargo Force. After being named director of player development at the University of Minnesota, Cullen will not remain with the Penguins. -- Taylor Haase

• In other staff news: Head athletic trainer Kevin Elliott isn't with the organization anymore either after serving in the role for the last two seasons. -- Taylor Haase

• Filip Hallander is back home and training in Sweden, and is back on the ice, too. He's working out and skating with his former SHL teammates, using the team Timra's facilities. Hallander is still under contract next season with the Penguins, so he doesn't have the option to sign in Sweden -- not that he'd take it anyway, he wants to play in the NHL. But if he can't stick in the NHL next season, it wouldn't be surprising to see him go back to Timra for 2027-28. Timra is certainly leaving that door open. -- Taylor Haase

• BIll Zonnon loves being over-prepared for anything he does, whether it's learning the Penguins' systems on his own before getting to Wilkes-Barre or ... dominating the combine. Since the pull-up test was added to the combine in 2015, only five players have ever recorded more than Zonnon's 16. -- Taylor Haase

• Ending with a fun story: Evgeni Malkin is notoriously bad with his teammates' names, or he at least wants some to believe that. Some have speculated that it's a bit -- I remember Jake Guentzel thinking that Malkin calling him "Jack" was a bit of rookie hazing. Casey DeSmith once told me that Malkin called him "goalie" for a long time, but Malkin let a "Casey" slip after a big win. Others, like Bryan Rust and Brian Dumoulin, I remember telling me were actually pretty sure that Malkin genuinely didn't know their names for awhile. Malkin, however, took an immediate liking to director of team security Ed Joyner when he was hired a few years back. Not only did Malkin call him by his name on his first day, Malkin offered to share his pizza, too, which was an even bigger shock to his teammates. -- Taylor Haase