April 11, 2025
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder/designated hitter
Andrew McCutchen will start on the bench for Friday's series opener against the division-rival Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park.
Adam Frazier is making the start in right field and will hit eighth against Reds right-hander
Brady Singer.
Bryan Reynolds (triceps) continues to serve as Pittsburgh's designated hitter, leaving the 38-year-old McCutchen as the odd-man out. The former MVP has gotten off to a .267 (8-for-30) start at the plate in his 17th big-league season, and he's added a homer, two doubles, five RBI and two runs scored in his 10 games played. Cutch should start to see more regular playing time as the DH whenever Reynolds is able to return to left-field duties. Frazier will be a low-upside DFS option at the bottom of Pittsburgh's lineup. He has hit .286 with one RBI in seven career at-bats against Singer.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
March 29, 2025
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielders
Andrew McCutchen and
Tommy Pham are not in Saturday's starting lineup. Instead,
Bryan Reynolds will serve as the designated hitter, which will open right field for
Jack Suwinski. With Pham sitting out, Ji-Hwan Bae will cover left field. Through the first two games of the season, McCutchen has gone 1-for-7 with a double, an RBI, and a walk. Pham has also had a modest output in the batter's box, going 1-for-8 at the plate. However, Pham has swiped a bag in each of the first two games and added a double. Last season, Suwinski posted a .182/.264/.324 slash line with nine home runs and nine stolen bases. Bae struggled across his brief 29-game stint in the majors last season, holding a .189 AVG. Neither player should be targeted in DFS facing Miami right-hander
Valente Bellozo.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
December 23, 2024
Free-agent outfielder/designated hitter
Andrew McCutchen re-signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday on a one-year deal worth $5 million, according to a source. Although McCutchen is clearly past his prime and is basically a full-time DH at this point in his career, the 38-year-old was highly coveted by the Pirates for his leadership skills in the clubhouse. In 448 at-bats over 120 games for Pittsburgh in 2024 in his 16th year in the big leagues, the five-time All-Star and former National League MVP hit .232/.328/.411 with a .739 OPS, 20 home runs, 50 RBI, three steals and 66 runs scored. McCutchen should once again be expected to serve as the team's full-time DH in 2025, and while he still has decent pop for his age, fantasy managers would be foolish to expect another season of 20 homers.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Alex Stumpf
September 28, 2024
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder/designated hitter
Andrew McCutchen is out of the starting lineup on Saturday against the New York Yankees in the Bronx. With McCutchen out,
Bryan Reynolds is serving as the DH and batting second, while
Billy Cook makes the start in left field and is hitting in the nine-hole against Yankees right-hander
Luis Gil. McCutchen could use a day off with the season about to wrap up, as he's gone hitless in his last 11 at-bats with four strikeouts in three games played. The five-time All-Star and former MVP is batting only .232 (104-for-448) in his 16th year in the league, but he has reached the 20-homer mark for the first time since 2021 and has provided 50 RBI in his 120 games played for the Bucs. Reynolds clubbed two homers at Yankee Stadium on Friday night and will be a popular DFS pick against Gil, even though he has never faced him in his career. Cook has gone 9-for-41 (.220) with two homers in his first 14 MLB games this year.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Pittsburgh Pirates
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