PIRATES

As March 27 quickly approaches, the plan for the Pirates' opening day roster got a little bit clearer as Nick Yorke, Billy Cook and Henry Davis were optioned to Class AAA Indianapolis and Joshua Palacios was designated for assignment. While those moves answer a few questions, several still remain ahead of the Pirates' final two Grapefruit League games. So, let's take another shot at predicting the opening-day roster:

Catcher: Joey Bart, Endy Rodriguez

Davis being optioned to Indianapolis answers the question of who will be the backup catcher to start the year. Bart is the bonafide starter and Derek Shelton has said as much since PiratesFest at the end of January. It's something Bart deserved after the way he played last season and he's followed up on that this spring, hitting .400 with a 1.190 OPS. He's been one of the Pirates' best hitters this spring and that should continue into the season. Rodriguez has broken through this spring after missing most of last season while recovering from elbow surgery. He's fully impressed while hitting for a .321 average in 28 at-bats and walking nine times. Sending Davis down to Indianapolis could also provide the opportunity for him to play daily before giving him another opportunity at the major league level.

First base: D.J. Stewart

Cook and Yorke being sent to Indianapolis clears the way at first. I can see Triolo and Stewart platooning at first base throughout the first month of the season or until Spencer Horwtiz returns from his thumb extensor injury. Stewart has only played five innings at first base during his seven-year career in the majors but has shown defensive improvement since beginning to work there. It will be interesting to see how the Pirates handle the position when Horwitz returns, but I'll give Stewart the nod with Sandy Alcantara starting on opening day in Miami.

Second base: Nick Gonzales

Gonzales has done nothing to lose his starting spot this spring. Shelton is looking for a little more consistency from Gonzales at the plate and after making a few adjustments early on he has hit.268 with four doubles in a team-high 41 at-bats. 

Shortstop: Isiah Kiner-Falefa

My prediction here stays the same as well. Kiner-Falefa is moving back to shortstop full-time for the first time since playing there with the Yankees in 2022 and after two years of playing multiple positions as a utility man, he's gained a new appreciation for the position. He told me that he's looking to blend how he played other positions and has developed a new approach at shortstop. He's struggled there in the past, so we'll see how that takes shape. Look for Triolo or Gonzales to work in a backup role.

Third base: Ke'Bryan Hayes

If Hayes is healthy he slots in at third base, but that will determine a lot. He has said throughout the spring he's the healthiest he's been in a long time but he still has to find a way to manage his back injury during the day-to-day grind of the season. He's already had a minor hiccup this spring but even said that he would've played through it if it were the regular season. Triolo will be Hayes' backup but Frazier could also work into the mix.

Outfield: Jack Suwinski, Oneil Cruz, Bryan Reynolds

Cruz and Reynolds have locked up center field and right field. Suwinski can back up all three outfield positions and Tommy Pham can play in right as well. With Alcantara starting the opener, I'm going to give the opening day nod to Suwinski in left field as I believe he and Pham will platoon there throughout the season. Ji Hwan Bae made a pretty big push for the fourth outfielder spot, but I think he gets left off in favor of Suwinski.

Designated hitter: Andrew McCutchen

Let's not overthink this one.

Bench: Jared Triolo, Adam Frazier, Tommy Pham

Triolo is coming off a year in which he won a Gold Glove award for utility infielders. He's shown the ability to play all four infield positions this spring and if he finds a rhythm at the plate they'll find a spot for him in the lineup. As veterans with tons of experience, Frazier and Pham will see time at multiple positions and can provide leadership and a voice for the younger players in the clubhouse.

Starting rotation: Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Bailey Falter, Andrew Heaney, Thomas Harrington

The starting rotation was undoubtedly the easiest to predict after Heaney was signed toward the beginning of the Grapefruit League schedule, but Jared Jones having elbow discomfort brings the final spot into question. Despite not hearing a diagnosis or any news on Jones in the past few days, I believe he'll start the season on the injured list. At this point, he hasn't thrown in at least a week which would bring his next start into question and he'll still have to build his volume back up before taking the mound again. Because of that, I believe the final spot in the rotation belongs to Harrington. He's showcased a lot and the fact that he's still around with the big league club says a lot. He'll make his final start of the spring on Monday against the Twins in Fort Myers, Fla. I also think this could just as easily be Carmen Mlodzinski who is being stretched out into a starter and he's coming off a simulated game where he threw 60 pitches in four innings. He is also developing a sinker and a split-finger pitch to add to his arsenal which would allow him to keep hitters off balance.

Bullpen: David Bednar, Colin Holderman, Dennis Santana, Tim Mayza, Caleb Ferguson, Ryan Borucki, Tanner Rainey, Justin Lawrence

With how strong the bullpen has been this spring, this group is one of the hardest to predict as it could go in so many different directions. Bednar, Holderman and Santana are locks and I think Bednar is the closer moving forward. From there it gets a little tough. Ferguson can work in too many situations to leave him out of this group as he's worked as an opener, a long reliever and could work in leverage situations as well. Mayza could ultimately become the lefty specialist and Borucki, Rainey and Lawrence have also been too good. That's how I think this season will start but that also forces the Pirates to option Mlodzinski and Kyle Nicolas to Indianapolis and the fact that they are two who both have options remaining is the big reason why. Nicolas has been lights out and I believe he'd be the first pitcher called up if the bullpen suffers an injury.