3 permanent Pirates lineup changes that Don Kelly needs to make immediately

The struggles that the Pirates' offense has experienced this season continue to worsen, as they battle nightly with the Royals for the honor of fewest runs scored in MLB. Pittsburgh ranks dead last in runs scored in the entire league, which helps explain why they are 17 games back of .500. Obviously this team is not heading to the playoffs, but that should not stop Don Kelly from putting out their best lineup every night and experimenting for the future (which, hopefully, includes him among the decision-makers).

Kelly's lineup construction hasn't been bad, by any means, but there are still a few changes and optimizations that he needs to make. In addition to improving scoring output, lineup positioning could change the pitches players are getting, leading to better overall results for some struggling hitters.

Don Kelly needs to make these three lineup changes to help the Pirates score more.

Move Oneil Cruz down in the order

Oneil Cruz is in one of the biggest slumps in his career, and is 8-for-his-last-60 with 22 strikeouts in that span. Whether he's struggling or performing up to par, it's beginning to feel like leading off is just not a good spot for him. Time and time again when runners are on base, he has been unable to consistently put the ball in play.

Going into the cleanup spot would be a perfect spot for him. With the top hitters in front of him, he will likely get more opportunities with runners on base. As a leadoff hitter who rarely hits with runners on, Cruz has not gotten great pitches to hit this year, either. Moving him down would ultimately give him better opportunities to do damage at the plate. One day after being pulled for lack of hustle, Cruz has been dropped to fifth in the order. It's certainly a start.

Make Andrew McCutchen, Bryan Reynolds, and Nick Gonzales 1-2-3

These three have been behind Cruz while he leads things off. Moving Cruz down to cleanup should result in these three each moving up a spot in the order. Andrew McCutchen has a great veteran approach at the plate, chasing at a low 22.9% rate and walking at a solid 10.9% clip. He has been a solid hitter this season, and putting him in this role would give Pittsburgh better chances of scoring.

Moving Bryan Reynolds back up to the two spot behind McCutchen would be the right idea as well. He has been better lately, posting an .805 OPS in his last 30 games. Reynolds will get a chance to operate with one or zero outs at least once per game. Ideally, McCutchen will be a stronger leadoff hitter than Cruz ahead of him.

If anyone on this team has a three-hitter approach, it's Nick Gonzales. He has always done well with runners on base, striking out at a low 17.9% rate and posting a 134 wRC+. His season has been limited to just 20 games due to an ankle injury, yet he showed signs of this approach in 2024, too. He will always find a way to put the ball in play and produce runs. His aggresive approach prevents walks, but it works for him, and that deserves a chance in the three spot.

Put Spencer Horwitz in the six spot

Lastly is Spencer Horwitz. He has been the team's main cleanup hitter since being activated off the injured list. He has not lived up to expectations so far. He has begun to turn things around, posting an .816 OPS in his last 26 at-bats, but he needs a big second half to be the answer Pittsburgh thought they were getting.

The left-handed bat is still recovering from his wrist surgery, so a slower start was expected. Nonetheless, he feels better suited to get at bats down in the six spot, rather than at cleanup for the time being. He just has not produced with runners on base, and that's what cleanup hitters need to be good at.