Struggling Relief Pitcher Causing Major Headache for Pirates
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates need strong performances from their relievers, but one of their top choices isn't performing up to par.
Pirates right-handed relief pitcher Dennis Santana has had a rough month and it got worse in his latest outing vs. the Toronto Blue Jays in the series opener at the Rogers Centre on May 22.
Santana came in the bottom of the eighth inning with the Pirates down just 3-2 and gave up back-to-back leadoff doubles, walked a batter and allowed a single, which resulted in the Blue Jays scoring three runs and eventually getting the 6-2 victory.
It was another poor showing for Santana, who the Pirates really can't rely on in a season where they must have a great bullpen in order to reach their playoff goals.
Looking at Santana's Recent Struggles
Santana has been ineffective on the mound over his last 10 appearances, giving up 17 hits, 12 earned runs and three home runs over 8.1 innings for a 12.96 ERA, with four walks to just five strikeouts.
It all started with his blown save opportunity against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on April 27, where the Pirates bullpen threw eight scoreless innings and then Santana allowed back-to-back solo home runs and a two-run double that resulted in a 4-2 defeat.
Santana also gave up two earned runs in the 9-0 defeat to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on May 5, where the bullpen allowed seven earned runs.
He struggled against the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park last weekend, which included giving up four straight hits, three runs and two earned runs after coming on in the 10th inning in an eventual 11-9 loss in the series opener on May 15, plus giving up a solo home run in the 6-0 loss in the 6-0 loss in the series finale on May 17.
Santana has had five scoreless outings in between this, but his poor showings are far more concerning and are becoming much more commonplace.
Massive Difference From 2025 Excellence
Santana was the best relief pitcher for the Pirates in 2025, with a 2.18 ERA in 70 outings and 70.1 innings pitched, 60 strikeouts to 17 walks, a .179 batting average allowed and a 0.87 WHIP.
He also became the main closer once the Pirates traded David Bednar to the New York Yankees at the deadline, and outside of allowing four earned runs in a 17-16 defeat to the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field, he had a 1.90 ERA in his last 23 games pitched in.
Santana used this performance to earn a spot in the bullpen for Team Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic in March, finishing third in the tournament.
There are big differences between how he pitched last season to this current one, with every hitting advanced statistic in 2026 much higher than it was in 2025.
Stat | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
Expected Batting Average (xBA) | .216 | .290 (34th, Bottom 8% MLB) |
Expected Slugging % (xSLG) | .403 | .483 |
Weighted On-Base Average (wOBA) | .236 (12th, Top 3% MLB) | .337 |
Expected Weighted On-Base Average (xwOBA) | .292 | .369 |
K% (Strikeout Rate) | 22.2% | 14.8% (17th, Bottom 8% MLB) |
Expected ERA (xERA) | 3.51 | 5.68 |
Most concerning is how high his expected batting average is and also how much lower his strikeout rate is, both in the bottom 8% of MLB pitchers.
He also threw 6.1 innings over eight appearances from April 27 through May 17 where he didn't post a strikeout.
Another area of trouble for Santana is how much less effective his slider is, going from a +7 run value in 2025 to a -5 run value in 2026.
His BAA on his slider is .333, compared to .157 in 2025, and his slugging on it is .600, compared to .274 last season.
Santana's changeup and sinker are also both not helping him out much recently, with a .313 BAA and .563 slugging percentage on his changeup and a .333 BAA and .471 slugging percentage on his sinker.
He is also allowing hard hit contact on his slider (47.6%) and his changeup (42.6%), as he had a slider hard hit-contact rate of 32.5% last season.
Can Santana Turn it Around?
The Pirates have had a plethora of bullpen issues this season, as they look for more consistent outings from their relievers, something they haven't gotten so far.
Santana isn't a big strikeout relief pitcher, but it's troubling seeing how much he's struggled in that area this season.
He has to find his form with his offspeed pitches again, making sure he can get the movement and break that made him successful last season and after the Pirates picked him up off waivers in June 2024.
Santana had the most success when he used his slider more and then the four-seam fastball to accompany it last season, whereas he's throwing his four-seam fastball a tad more than his slider this campaign.
If Santana can establish his offspeed, pair that with his fastball and generate weak contact and some extra strikeouts, he'll be on track towards getting back to the pitcher he has been for the most part in Pittsburgh.
The Pirates envisioned Santana as their closer/set-up man alongside left-handed pitcher Gregory Soto, but he's just not been effective enough in that role for the most part in recent times.
Santana will get the benefit of the doubt in the near future, but with the trade deadline coming in about two months time and potential waiver claims available for the Pirates, he'll need to get back to his best pitching, otherwise he'll likely end up in Triple-A or with a "phantom injury" and land on the injured list.
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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.