Pirates' Injury Troubles Force Rare Prospect Promotion
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates continue dealing with numerous injuries and have to rely on a prospect to help them out, who they weren't expecting to call up this season.
The Pirates announced that they recalled infielder prospect Jack Brannigan ahead of their series finale vs. the Seattle Mariners at PNC Park on June 25, where he has the chance to make his MLB debut.
Brannigan earns a rare promotion from Double-A Altoona and bypasses Triple-A Indianapolis, where he hasn't made an appearance as a professional.
It's an odd call up for the Pirates, but on necessitated by their clear lack of depth at this curretn moment in time.
Why Are The Pirates Calling Up Brannigan?
Pittsburgh brings Brannigan up, as they place first baseman Spencer Horwitz on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain, which saw him leave the previous game early, an 11-1 victory on June 24.
Ryan O'Hearn takes over at first base in place of Horwitz, while rookie Esmerlyn Valdez plays right field and Brannigan can come off the bench in this game.
The Pirates have little reinforcements for the infield, with a number of injuries that have forced them to bring up Brannigan.
Shortstop Konnor Griffin is on his rehab assignment for his right forearm flexor strain and isn't back on the team just yet, while other utility man Nick Yorke recently fractured the middle finger on his right hand, but will miss about a month before resuming baseball activities.
The only other healthy infielder they have on the 40-man roster is Davis Wendzel, who is currently with Triple-A Indianapolis.
Brannigan's promotion makes sense with the Pirates playing a day game vs. the Mariners and him playing for Altoona, just a little more than a two hour drive from Pittsburgh, much closer than Indianapolis.
It also allows him to return quickly to Altoona, if the Pirates end up activating Konnor Griffin for their weekend series vs. the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park or for their next road trip.
What Pirates Get in Brannigan
The Pirates took Brannigan in the third round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Notre Dame and he's played nearly 300 minor league games over the past five seasons.
Brannigan mostly features on the left side of the infield, with 115 games played at third base and 141 games played at shortstop.
The biggest issue for Brannigan has simply been staying healthy, as he's missed a great number of games over the past few seasons.
He has spent two stints on the 7-day injured list this season, while also suffering a broken nose in the second Grapefruit League game for the Pirates back on Feb. 22, with a ground ball that struck him in the face.
Brannigan also suffered a torn labrum in 2025, that ended his season after June 13, and hasn't played more than 87 games in a season as a professional.
He has played in 31 games for Altoona this season, slashing .235/.333/.522 for an OPS of .855, with 27 hits, seven doubles, eight home runs and 18 RBI, already hitting three more home runs than he did with Altoona last year.
It's not likely Brannigan stays with the Pirates long, but it's a great chance for him to get some experience before going back down to the minor leagues and working on his game.
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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.