The Pittsburgh Pirates are getting closer to their Opening Day roster.
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have made another round of Spring Training roster cuts and perhaps their most significant so far. The Pirates announced that they optioned outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia and infielder/outfielder Tyler Callihan to Triple-A Indianapolis on March 21.
This brings the Pirates down to 35 players at Major League Camp, 34 active, with right-handed pitcher Pittsburgh acquired both players in trades, getting Garcia from the Boston Red Sox on Dec. 4 in a five-player trade that saw them send back right-handed starting pitcherBoth players were pushing for a spot on the Opening Day roster, but will now have to wait before making their Pirates debut at the MLB level.Garcia has had a strong showing from the plate in Spring Training, maybe the best of any Pirates player. He has slashed .405/.463/.595 for an OPS of 1.058 in 17 games, with 15 hits in 37 at-bats, a double, two home runs, five RBI, four walks to 10 strikeouts and three stolen bases.Feb 25, 2026; North Port, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter Marcell Ozuna prepares to take batting practice before the start of the game against the Atlanta Braves during spring training at CoolToday Park. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images Garcia would either hardly get reps or rarely play if he did make the roster, so going down to Indianapolis will give him more at-bats and also more starts in the outfield to continue his development. Callihan is a utility player and can feature at numerous positions, but he was always going to be one of the last players to make the Opening Day roster if he did so. He plays all infield positions, besides shortstop, and can feature in left field. Like Garcia, he will get more opportunities in the minors, so he'll still get a chance to show he can play with the Pirates throughout the campaign.will now likely make the roster as the Pirates' main utility option off the bench, as he plays all the spots that Callihan does. Yorke will serve as depth at third base and second base, plus play in both corner outfield spots when needed.The Pirates have cut 28 players so far in Spring Training and need to get down to a 26-man roster for Opening Day on March 26, with nine more players to cut over the next five days. Brannigan suffered a broken nose vs. vs. the Philadelphia Phillies at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla. on Feb. 22 and hasn't played since that incident, while Harbin suffered an arm injury to his teres major and lat musculature, which has him on the no-throw list for six weeks and he'll remain out until early April.Mar 6, 2026; Miami, FL, United States; Netherlands pitcher Antwone Kelly pitches in the first inning against Venezuela at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images The Pirates made a third round of Spring Training cuts on March 12, as they reassigned eight players to minor league camp.of cuts saw them option infielder Enmanuel Valdez to Indianapolis and reassign outfielder Dominic Fletcher to minor league camp on March 16., Michael Darrell-Hicks, Noah Davis and Noah Murdock to minor league camp and optioning left-handed relief pitcher Evan Sisk to Indianapolis. Make sure to visit Pirates OnSI for the latest news, updates, interviews and insight on the Pittsburgh Pirates!Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.
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