Pirates Make Second Round of Spring Training Cuts
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates continue cutting down their roster ahead of Opening Day, with another batch of players not making the major league roster.
The Pirates announced eight different players that they either optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis or to minor league camp, bringing the players in Major League camp down to 54 players, or 53 with right-handed pitcher Jared Jones on the 60-day injured list.
Pittsburgh optioned four right-handed pitchers in Brandon Bidois, Wilber Dotel, Thomas Harrington and Antwone Kelly, plus outfielder Esmerlyn Valdez to Triple-A and reassigned catcher Omar Alfonzo, right-handed pitcher Khristian Curtis and outfielder Mitch Jebb to Minor League camp.
The five players the Pirates sent to Indianapolis have a spot on the 40-man roster, including all those but Harrington earning that place this offseason, as the franchise kept them available from the Rule 5 Draft.
Alfonzo, Curtis and Jebb were all non-roster invitees and aren't on the 40-man roster, so the Pirates don't have to option them.
Overlook of the Five Players Optioned to Triple-A
Bidois was one of the more interesting decisions, as he has shown that he could serve as a big part of the Pirates' bullpen in high-leverage situations.
He has been playing well so far in Spring Training, with no runs given up on 2.2 innings pitched in three appearances and three strikeouts to one walk.
Bidois got some attention last season after he faced 64 consecutive batters without giving up a hit and finished with a 0.74 ERA over 40 appearances across four minor league levels. He also won the Kent Tekulve Reliever of the Year, given to the best Pirates relief pitcher in the minor leagues.
Dotel and Kelly haven't pitched at Triple-A yet, but each earned starting opportunities in Spring Training and are gearing towards a strong 2026 campaign.
Kelly is currently with Team Kingdom of the Netherlands and they have one final game in Pool Play before he returns back to the Pirates.
He finished with a 3-3 record in 25 starts with a 3.02 ERA over 107.1 innings pitched with both High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona in 2025.
Dotel spent all of 2025 with Altoona, dropping his ERA down from 5.33 to 4.15 over a year and increasing his K/BB to 3.05 from 1.95 in 2024.
He ranked third in the Eastern League in strikeouts (131) and BAA (.234), fourth in WHIP (1.23) and fifth in innings pitched (125.1). He also ranked third in K/9 (9.38), fifth in K/BB and sixth in BB/9 (3.08).
Harrington is a prime bounceback candidate for the Pirates after struggling in his two minor stints at the major league level in 2025 and then not pitching effectively in Triple-A, with a 5.34 ERA over 96.0 innings pitched in 20 starts.
He is back from a groin injury that ended his last campaign early and just threw four scoreless innings in relief for the Pirates in their road win over the Detroit Tigers on March 7.
Valdez is one of the more promising hitters in the Pirates' farm system, but like Dotel and Kelly, hasn't played in Triple-A yet.
He excelled last season in the minors, hitting a farm system-high of 26 home runs across High-A and Double-A, then winning Arizona Fall League Offensive Player of the Year Award.
Valdez could break the 26-man roster this season, but he'll need a strong showing in Indianapolis first.
What to Expect From the Three Players in Minor League Camp
Alfonzo started 2025 with Greensboro and then earned promotion to Double-A on July 1, along with Valdez.
He slashed .243/.354/.396 for an OPS of .750 in 116 games in 2025, with 98 hits, 18 doubles, 14 home runs, 56 RBI and 63 walks to 137 strikeouts.
Alfonzo could start at Double-A, but should get his shot at Triple-A too in 2026, potentially making the major league squad in 2027.
Jebb played most of his games in center field, starting 83 of 85 games in 2025 with Altoona, but also started 24 of 26 games at second base.
The 23-year old slashed .265/.350/.317 for an OPS of .667 in 122 games, with 118 hits, 11 doubles, six triples, no home runs, 34 RBI, 59 walks to 56 strikeouts and 33 stolen bases on 38 attempts.
He will likely play a majority of his games at Triple-A in 2026, where he'll get a shot to prove he belongs with the Pirates.
Curtis struggled early on with Greensboro in 2025, with an 11.48 ERA in April, mostly thanks to giving up seven earned runs over 0.1 innings pitched in his second start.
He bounced back the rest of the campaign, posting an 8-3 record, with a 2.87 ERA over 97.1 innings pitched and 97 strikeouts.
Curtis helped Greensboro throw a perfect game in the 2-0 win over the Aberdeen Ironbirds on July 4, as he pitched six scoreless innings and posted 10 strikeouts.
He eventually earned promotion to Altoona after the High-A season and threw two scoreless innings in the regular season finale on Sept. 14 vs. the Erie Seawolves.
Expect Curtis to pitch mostly in Altoona in 2026, with a shot later on in Indianapolis.
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.