Pirates Top Prospect Starting to Turn Things Around in June
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates need their farm system producing great talent and one prospect is bouncing back from a tough start to 2026.
Pirates second baseman Termarr Johnson struggled immensely with Triple-A Indianapolis in the first two months of the season, but he is showing in June that he is back to what the team expected of him in 2026.
Johnson has slashed .262/.368/.492 for an OPS of .860 with 17 hits in 65 at-bats, nine runs scored, four doubles, a triple, three home runs, eight RBI, 11 walks to 21 strikeouts and four stolen bases in 16 games.
His play is definitely encouraging for the Pirates, who made Johnson the fourth overall selection in the 2022 MLB Draft out of Benjamin E. Mays High School in Atlanta, Ga. and are hoping he develops into the player they took four years ago.
Johnson Making Big Bounce Back in June
It was a terrible first two months for Johnson, who was slashing .167/.284/.215 for an OPS of .499 through May 31, serving as one of the worst hitters in the International League.
Johnson has three multi-hit games this month, which he had three multi-hit games through the end of May, and had just one home run as well.
His first game of June he hit a solo home run in the 7-6 road loss to St. Paul (Minnesota Twins) on June 2, then hit a two-run home run in the 11-1 home win over Columbus (Cleveland Guardians) on June 10, plus a three-run home run in the 4-3 loss to Columbus on June 14, where he also had two hits.
Johnson had his best game of the month in the 11-7 road loss to Iowa (Chicago Cubs) on June 19, where he posted four hits in six at-bats, which included two doubles and four runs scored.
What Pirates Need From Johnson Going Forward
There's no doubt Johnson has hit well this month, but his season overall still has him with an undesirable slash line, .196/.310/.301 for an OPS of .611 in 60 games.
Johnson has the fifth-worst batting average and OPS, tied for seventh-worst slugging percentage ad the 15th-worst on-base percentage,
The Pirates took Johnson where they did, as they expected him to develop into a top hitter who brought great power, while serving as an adequate middle infield option.
Johnson's advanced metrics show that he's not getting great contact on the ball, with low exit velocities and low barrel rate, which isn't a good sign for him going forward.
His slash line improvements are definitely important, but if Johnson is to become the top player that he was once slated as, he'll have to start swinging the bat better overall and improving his power totals.
Johnson won't play for the Pirates in 2026, so he'll have the rest of the year to fix some things and head into 2027 with a realistic chance of playing in the major leagues.
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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.