Top Pirates Prospect Returning From Ankle Injury
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have some of the best prospects in baseball, including one player who hasn't featured much in Spring Training.
Pirates senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said that top outfielder prospect Edward Florentino is back to full baseball activities after he suffered an ankle injury in mid-February, according to José Negron of DK Pittsburgh Sports.
Florentino came off the bench in two Spring Training games for the Pirates, with two strikeouts and a walk in three plate appearances. His last game came back on Feb. 25 against the Atlanta Braves at CoolToday Park in North Port, Fla.
The 19-year old won't feature for the Pirates in the annual Spring Breakout Game on March 20 vs. the Detroit Tigers at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla., according to Tomczyk. The Spring Breakout Game features the best prospects from two teams and eacH MLB team plays at least one of these contests.
.Tomcyzk did say that Florentino will return to full-game action at the end of March or in early April, meaning he'll be ready for the beginning of the season.
What Makes Edward Florentino A Highly-Rated Prospect
Florentino quickly rose up from one of the lower ranked prospects in the Pirates farm system to one of the top-rated young talents in baseball.
His first season in the United States was in 2025 at 18 years old and he proved to the Pirates that he is someone they need to closely monitor, as he showed contact, power, speed and solid fielding in the outfield.
Florentino played with both the Florida Complex League Pirates at Rookie-Level ball and then for Single-A Bradenton, where he excelled in both stints.
Batting Average | On-Base % | Slugging % | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|
.290 | .400 | .548 | .948 |
Hits | Doubles | HR | RBI | BB/K | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
84 | 23 | 16 | 59 | 49/78 | 35 |
He slashed .347/.442/.642 for an OPS of 1.084 in 29 games at Rookie-Level ball, with 33 hits in 95 at-bats, six doubles, two triples, six home runs, 23 RBI, 16 walks to 22 strikeouts and six stolen bases on seven attempts.
Florentino then continued his strong play at Single-A, slashing .262/.380/.503 for an OPS of .883, with 51 hits in 195 at-bats, 17 doubles, 10 home runs, 36 RBIs, 29 stolen bases on 34 attempts and 33 walks to 56 strikeouts.
He earned Florida State League Player of the Month honors for July as he slashed .301/.433/.663 for an OPS of 1.096 in 23 games, with 25 hits in 83 at-bats, six doubles, eight home runs, 23 RBI, 17 walks to 24 strikeouts and 16 stolen bases on 17 attempts.
His eight home runs and 23 RBI ranked as the most in both the Florida State League and in Single-A. He was also the only player in the FSL and one of three in Single-A with both at least 15 walks and 10 extra bases hits.
Florentino is one of the top rated prospects, with Baseball America ranking him as the top corner prospect in baseball and 28th overall, Keith Law of The Athletic ranking him 42nd, MLB Pipeline placing him at 51st overall and landing 78th on ESPN's top 100 list.
He'll likely get the start at High-A Greensboro and could play for Double-A Altoona if he has a strong showing early on.
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.