Pirates Reveal Six More Spring Training Non-Roster Invitees
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates are still adding names to their major league camp, with Spring Training starting in less than a week.
The Pirates announced six more non-roster invites to major league camp down in Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla., that will get the chance they deserve a shot on the Opening Day roster or a better spot in the minors.
Those players include catcher Derek Berg, first baseman Nick Cimillo, right-handed pitcher Michael Darrell-Hicks, left-handed pitcher Nick Dombkowski, outfielder/infielder Mitch Jebb and infielder Alika Williams.
The Pirates have their first workout for pitchers and catchers on Feb. 9, if they're participating in the World Baseball Classic, and Feb. 11 if they're not. Infielders and outfielders in the World Baseball Classic come on Feb. 12 and then the first workout takes place on Feb. 16, making it just two weeks until everyone is down in Bradenton.
Overview of Non-Roster Invitees Position Players
Berg was a 10th round pick out of the United States Military Academy in the 2024 MLB Draft and spent his first season with Single-A Bradenton and then 2025 with Double-A Altoona.
He played in 88 games, slashing .230/.357/.372 for an OPS of .729, with 65 hits, 11 doubles, four triples, seven home runs, 37 RBI and 49 walks to 116 strikeouts.
Cimilio joined the Pirates as a 16th round selection out of Rutgers in the 2022 MLB Draft and is entering his fifth season with the franchise.
The soon-to-be 26-year old spent all of 2025 with Altoona, slashing .239/.319/.474 for an OPS of .793 in 112 games, with 96 hits, 26 doubles, four triples, 20 home runs, 71 RBI and 44 walks to 77 strikeouts.
Jebb came to the Pirates from Michigan State and was their second round selection in the 2023 MLB Draft.
He played most of his games in center field, starting 83 of 85 games in 2025, but also started 24 of 26 games at second base. MLB Pipeline ranks Jebb as the Pirates 19th best prospect.
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.
Pittsburgh recently released Williams on Jan. 16, but he gets another shot to either make the Opening Day roster, unlikely, or another shot in the minor leagues in 2026.
Williams joined the Pirates on June 2, 2023 in a trade with the Rays for right-handed pitcher Robert Stephenson.
He played in 46 games for Pittsburgh that season, but struggled to show his talents at the major league level. He slashed 198/.270/.248, with 20 hits in 101 at-bats, five doubles, six RBI and nine walks to 35 strikeouts.
Williams started out the 2024 season with the Pirates, where he struggled to keep a spot on the roster, getting sent down to Triple-A four times and dealing with a right wrist sprain that kept him off the Pirates for almost two months.
He again put up poor numbers with the Pirates that campaign, slashing .207/.242/.299 for an OPS of .541 in 37 games, with 18 hits in 87 at-bats, four doubles, two triples, five RBI and three walks to 22 strikeouts.
The Pirates designated Williams for assignment on Feb. 3, 2025, and he spent the entire season at Triple-A.
He had a solid season, slashing .268/.329/.393 for an OPS of .722 in 103 games, with 94 hits, 11 doubles, three triples, nine home runs, 42 RBI and 27 walks to 70 strikeouts.
Overview of Non-Roster Invitees Pitchers
The Pirates claimed Darrell-Hicks off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels on June 13 and assigned him to Indianapolis.
He made one appearance for the Pirates last season in their 9-3 defeat to the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on June 24. He pitched two innings, allowing no hits, walks nor runs and striking out two batters.
Darrell-Hicks did throw a wild pitch that scored a run for the Brewers, but that baserunner came under left-handed starting pitcher Andrew Heaney.
The Pirates optioned Darrell-Hicks back to Indianapolis on June 26, as they signed left-handed pitcher Génesis Cabrera to a one-year, major league contract.
Darrell-Hicks spent the rest of the season at Triple-A, before going on the 7-day injured list on Aug. 14 and not pitching after that. He finished with a 9.00 ERA over 14.0 innings pitched during this stint, with a .381 opposing batting average.
The Pirates also designated Darrell-Hicks for assignment on Nov. 6, among a number of roster moves, as they finalized their 40-man roster. Darrell-Hicks cleared waivers and then was outrighted to Indianapolis on Nov. 10.
Pittsburgh signed Dombkowski as a minor league free agent in 2021 and he enters his sixth season with the franchise.
He spent most of his time in Triple-A, with 12 starts in 26 games, a 3-6 record, a 5.68 ERA over 71.1 innings pitched, 63 strikeouts to 29 walks, a .275 batting average allowed and a 1.47 WHIP.
Other Non-Roster Inviteees for the Pirates
Pittsburgh already had two different groups that were named as non-roster invitees before this one.
They join the first seven non-roster invitees to Major League camp in outfielders, Ronny Simon and Dominic Fletcher, infielder Davis Wendzel, right-hander pitchers in Beau Burrows and Noah Murdock, and left-handed pitchers in Joe La Sorsa and Oddanier Mosqueda.
Infielder/outfielder Konnor Griffin, plus infielders Termarr Johnson and Duce Gorson, catchers inOmar Alfonzo and Shawn Ross, as well as right-handed pitchers in Noah Davis and Chris Devenski are the seven additions came in the second wave
This brings up the number to 20 players so far, which also includes the 40-man roster, so expect 61 players on the first days of Spring Training for the 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.