Pirates Complete Fifth Round of Spring Training Cuts
In this story:
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates continue bringing their roster down with compliance before Opening Day next week.
The Pirates announced that they optioned left-handed pitcher Evan Sisk to Triple-A Indianapolis and reassigned four players to minor league camp in right-handed pitchers like Beau Burrows, Michael Darrell-Hicks and Noah Davis, plus catcher Shawn Ross.
Sisk is on the 40-man roster, which is why they put him in Triple-A, while the other four players are non-roster invitees, which is why the Pirates sent them to minor league camp.
The Pirates now have just seven non-roster invitees left, including shortstops in Konnor Griffin and Alika Williams, plus right-handed pitchers in Mike Clevinger, Chris Devenski, Carson Fulmer and Noah Murdock and left-handed pitcher Joe La Sorsa.
Pittsburgh is also down to 39 players in Major League Camp, including 38 active players, as right-handed pitcher Jared Jones is on the 60-day injured list.
Overlook at Fifth Round of Spring Training Cuts
Sisk made six appearances out of the bullpen in the Grapefruit League, with a 3.00 ERA over 6.0 innings pitched, two saves in two opportunities, seven strikeouts to six walks, a .150 batting average allowed (BAA) and a 1.50 WHIP.
He was aiming for a spot on the Opening Day roster as one of the southpaws, but it's likely that Mason Montgomery gets that role instead.
Sisk joined the Pirates from the Kansas City Royals in the trade surrounding left-handed pitcher Bailey Falter last July. He finished with a 1-1 record in 14 relief appearances, a 4.38 ERA over 12.1 innings pitched, 14 strikeouts to five walks, a .244 BAA and a 1.30 WHIP in 2025.
Burrows made four bullpen appearances in the Grapefruit League, giving up a solo home run over 4.1 innings pitched for a 2.08 ERA, four strikeouts to two walks, a .235 BAA and a 1.38 WHIP.
He signed a minor league deal with the Pirates this offseason after pitching for both Double-A Altoona and Indianapolis last year.
Darrell-Hicks made five Spring Training appearances for the Pirates, with a 5.40 ERA over 5.0 innings pitched, four strikeouts to a walk, a .200 BAA and a 1.00 WHIP.
The Pirates claimed Darrell-Hicks off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels and made one appearance at the major league level, before spending most of it at Triple-A. They designated him for assignment after the season and signed him to a minor league contract.
Davis made four appearances and two starts for the Pirates in the Grapefruit League, where he struggled overall, posting a 7.90 ERA over 13.2 innings pitched, 12 strikeouts to two walks with five hit batters, a .278 BAA and a 1.24 WHIP.
He also allowed five home runs, including all five over his past three outings, as he had issues against top-level hitting. The Pirates signed him to a minor league deal this offseason.
Ross had a solid showing for the Pirates in Spring Training, slashing .462/.429/.923 for an OPS of 1.352 in 10 games, with six hits in 13 at-bats, three doubles, a home run, six RBI and no walks with six strikeouts.
He split his time between Double-A and Triple-A last year and will likely start his season at Triple-A.
Who the Pirates Have Cut Already
Pittsburgh has cut 21 players from Major League Camp across their five rounds of roster moves so far in Spring Training.
The Pirates' first round of cuts on March 8 was them optioning both right-handed relief pitcher Ryan Harbin and infielder Jack Brannigan to Triple-A.
Brannigan suffered a broken nose vs. vs. the Philadelphia Phillies at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla. on Feb. 22 and hasn't played since, while Harbin suffered an arm injury to his teres major and lat musculature, which has him on the no-throw list, keeping him out until early April.
The Pirates' second round of Spring Training cuts included optioning four right-handed pitchers in Brandon Bidois, Wilber Dotel, Thomas Harrington and Antwone Kelly, plus outfielder Esmerlyn Valdez to Indianapolis on March 9.
Pittsburgh also reassigned catcher Omar Alfonzo, outfielder Mitch Jebb, and right-handed pitcher Khristian Curtis to minor league camp.
The Pirates made a third round of Spring Training cuts, solely focused on reassigning eight players to minor league camp.
Pittsburgh moved position players in outfielder Ronny Simon, catcher Derek Berg and infielders in Nick Cimillo, Duce Gorson, Termarr Johnson and Davis Wendzel and left-handed pitchers in Nick Dombkowski and Oddanier Mosqueda back on March 12.
The Pirates' fourth round of cuts saw them option infielder Enmanuel Valdez to Indianapolis and reassign Dominic Fletcher to minor league camp.
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.