Pittsburgh Pirates DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Monday that they activated infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list and optioned infielder Liover Peguero to Triple-A Indianapolis after the team's game against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday. Kiner-Falefa is immediately back in the starting lineup for Monday's series opener in New York against the Mets and left-hander David Peterson, playing shortstop and batting sixth. The 30-year-old landed on the IL on May 1 with a strained right hamstring and didn't need to go on a minor-league rehab assignment before returning to Pittsburgh. He'll return to a .280/.333/.330 slash line with a below-average .663 OPS, no home runs, seven RBI, six stolen bases and 11 runs scored in his first 30 games in 2025. IKF is mainly valuable in fantasy for his positional versatility and mild speed in deeper leagues. He has never faced Peterson in his career.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz (back) remains out of the starting lineup for Monday's series opener against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Cruz will miss his second straight game after being pulled from Saturday's game early against the Atlanta Braves with lower-back tightness. Alexander Canario is making another start in center field for the Bucs and will hit seventh against Mets left-hander David Peterson. Cruz is considered day-to-day. Fantasy managers will want to check back to see if the 26-year-old is feeling good enough to play in Game 2 of the series in Queens. The 25-year-old Canario profiles as a low-upside DFS sleeper near the bottom of Pittsburgh's batting order against Peterson. He has never faced Peterson in his career and is sitting on just eight hits in 50 at-bats in 2025 with two home runs, three RBI and six runs scored.

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Luis L. Ortiz allowed four hits and one earned run over six innings in his team's 3-0 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. The Dominican Republic native walked two and struck out nine in the quality start, falling to 2-4 on the season. Ortiz put together a strong performance on Sunday, with a second-inning Kyle Schwarber home run accounting for the only blemish against him. Although he was otherwise excellent, Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler outdueled him with seven scoreless innings of three-hit ball, while his offense failed behind him. The 26-year-old has been up-and-down in eight starts thus far, registering four outings with at least eight punchouts but two with four or more runs. He'll carry an inflated 4.78 ERA and 1.36 WHIP (43 1/3 innings) into his next start on the road against the Cincinnati Reds.

Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitching prospect Mike Burrows struck out a season-high 11 batters across 4 2/3 innings of work during his start against Triple-A Columbus on Sunday. Burrows did not allow a run. He served up two walks and allowed four hits. The 25-year-old was promoted to the major leagues earlier this summer but was not given an opportunity to pitch. In 2024, Burrows made his MLB debut and logged just 3 1/3 innings to the tune of a 2.70 ERA. Through 27 1/3 innings of work at Triple-A Indianapolis this season, Burrows has posted a solid 2.63 ERA with a 1.06 WHIP. Across this stint, he struck out 36 batters and served up 10 walks. Given his steady performance at Triple-A, he should be in the mix to re-join Pittsburgh later this summer.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz (back) is out of the team's starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the visiting Atlanta Braves at PNC Park. Alexander Canario is getting the start in center field and will bat sixth against Braves left-hander Chris Sale. Cruz will take a seat on Sunday after being forced from Saturday's contest in the ninth inning with lower-back tightness. For now, fantasy managers should consider the 26-year-old to be day-to-day and check back for more updates. It remains to be seen if he'll be available to return for Monday's series opener versus the New York Mets on the road. If Cruz is forced to miss significant time, Canario and Ji Hwan Bae could share playing time in center field for Pittsburgh. Canario is hitting .146 (7-for-48) on the year with two home runs and three RBI and should be avoided in fantasy on Sunday against last year's National League Cy Young winner.