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The Pirates recalled Murdock from Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
He will provide the Pirates with a fresh bullpen arm for Sunday's regular-season finale. Murdock is unscored upon in three outings with the big club this season.
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Pirates' Evan Sisk: Optioned back to minors
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The Pirates optioned Sisk to Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Sisk had pitched each of the last two days, so he's being sent out in favor of a fresh bullpen arm. Noah Murdock is grabbing the vacated roster spot.
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Pirates' Brandon Lowe: Getting breather Sunday
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Lowe is not in the lineup for Sunday's game versus the Tigers.
After slugging his 35th home run of the season in Saturday's loss to the Tigers, Lowe will get some extra rest during Sunday's regular-season finale. Assuming the impending free agent doesn't appear off the bench Sunday, he'll finish with a .260/.331/.493 batting line and 96 RBI to go along with his 35 long balls.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Sitting out despite clean MRI
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Cruz (knee) is absent from the lineup for Sunday's game versus the Tigers.
Cruz was forced to exit Saturday's game with a left knee injury. The good news is an MRI came back negative, per Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com, but there's no reason to push Cruz to play during the regular-season finale. He will finish the 2026 campaign having hit .280/.368/.486 with 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases over just 97 contests.
Yates announced his retirement from Major League Baseball following Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Tigers.
Yates wrapped up his 12-year MLB career with 1.2 scoreless innings as the opener Saturday, allowing two hits while striking out one batter. He made 46 appearances this season between the Angels and Pirates, posting a 3.19 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 49:17 K:BB over 42.1 innings. The right-hander also tallied three saves to bring his career total to 101, with 41 of those saves coming in 2019 when he led the majors in the category.
Lowe went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Tigers.
The veteran second baseman took Justin Verlander deep in the fourth inning, in the future Hall of Famer's final career start. Lowe has put together an impressive first season with the Pirates, slashing .260/.331/.493 in 150 games with 35 homers and 96 RBI, the second-highest totals of his career after his 39-homer, 99-RBI eruption for the Rays in 2021.
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Pirates' Mason Montgomery: Blows third save Saturday
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Montgomery (6-4) blew the save and took the loss Saturday as the Pirates fell 4-3 to the Tigers, giving up three runs on three hits in two-thirds of an inning. He struck out one.
The southpaw was the seventh pitcher of the afternoon for Pittsburgh in a bullpen day, but Montgomery couldn't protect a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning, instead watching Eduardo Valencia walk it off with a two-run homer. It was Montgomery's third blown save of the season and his first since becoming the Bucs' primary closer after the All-Star break, ending a stretch of 17 straight conversions. Montgomery boasts a 2.93 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 103:26 K:BB in 67.2 innings during a breakout campaign.
Cruz was removed from Saturday's game against the Tigers due to an apparent injury, Dominic Campbell of SI.com reports.
Cruz's knee seemed to be bothering him after his foot got stuck in the grass while he made a sliding catch in the first inning, and he was eventually taken out of the game in the third. The Pirates should provide more information on his status in the near future, but with just one game left on the schedule after Saturday, Pittsburgh may opt to keep him on the sidelines no matter what.
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Pirates' Wilber Dotel: Relegated to Triple-A
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The Pirates optioned Dotel to Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
After giving up two runs (one earned) in three innings Friday, Dotel will be cast out of the Pirates' bullpen in favor of a fresh arm in the form of Hunter Barco. Dotel will finish the MLB season with a 4.46 ERA and 1.37 WHIP alongside a 41:16 K:BB over 42.1 innings.
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Pirates' Hunter Barco: Up from Triple-A
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The Pirates recalled Barco from Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Barco has given up 15 earned runs in just 17.2 major-league innings this season, but he'll return to the Pirates' bullpen nonetheless to help the team get through its final two regular-season contests. Wilber Dotel was optioned to Indianapolis in a corresponding move.
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Pirates' Jake Mangum: Getting rest Saturday
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Mangum isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Tigers.
Mangum will take a seat Saturday after going 1-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts in the series opener Friday. His absence will allow Ronny Simon to pick up a start in right field, batting seventh.
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Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Riding pine Saturday
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Gonzales isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Tigers.
Gonzales has notched a base hit in each of Pittsburgh's last three games, but he'll begin Saturday's affair in the dugout with Jacob Gonzalez starting at third base and batting eighth.
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Pirates' Rafael Flores: Taking seat Saturday
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Flores isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Detroit.
Flores will move to the bench after going 1-for-4 with a three-run homer in Friday's series opener. Henry Davis will handle catching duties and bat ninth.
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Pirates' Bubba Chandler: Early exit in final start of year
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Chandler (8-10) took the loss Friday as the Pirates fell 8-7 to the Tigers, coughing up six runs on four hits and four walks over 2.2 innings. He struck out two.
The 24-year-old right-hander did manage to avoid serving up a homer for the first time in five September starts, but there wasn't much else encouraging about Chandler's performance. He needed 77 pitches (42 strikes) to record just eight outs, and he heads into the offseason having stumbled to a 6.65 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 23:12 K:BB in 23 innings over the final month. A late fade isn't all that surprising however, considering he's thrown a career-high 154 innings in 2026. Chandler will head into next season with a spot in the rotation seemingly sewn up, barring some significant additions to the Pirates' staff.
Montgomery picked up the save Thursday versus St. Louis, striking out all three batters he faced in the ninth inning.
The left-hander entered for the ninth inning with Pittsburgh holding a 2-1 advantage, and he closed things out in strong form by punching out the side in order to record his 17th save of 2026. Montgomery has turned into a late-inning weapon for the Pirates and hasn't given up a run since July 26. During that 25-game stretch, he's picked up three wins and converted all 15 of his save chances with a 0.65 WHIP and 37:7 K:BB.
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