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3 Pirates non-roster invitees making a serious case for the Opening Day roster

The Pirates have 27 NRIs in spring training, but these three are making a serious case to start the year in the Major Leagues.
ByNoah Wright|
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1. Tanner Rainey

Tanner Rainey is a right-handed reliever the Pirates brought into camp. The veteran bullpen arm definitely had his moments with the Washington Nationals. He consistently carried a strong strikeout rate with the Nats, along with three seasons with an ERA+ of at least 110. The last three seasons, however, have not been kind to Rainey. He underwent Tommy John surgery during 2022, missed nearly all of 2023, and 2024 was mostly a disappointing season.

Rainey tossed 51 innings with a 4.76 ERA, 5.42 FIP, and 1.49 WHIP. Rainey’s once elite K% fell to just 19%, while his walk rate sat at 12.6%. He was also prone to home runs and hard contact, as he allowed long balls at a 1.41-per-9 ratio while being in just the third percentile of exit velocity (91.1 MPH) and the first percentile of barrel rate (14.3%). The most worrying aspect of his game was his drop in stuff. Prior to having Tommy John surgery, Rainey had a 116 Stuff+ mark. Although he still sits at an above-average 104 since his return, it’s still a far fall from where he once stood.

Rainey has thus far pitched five innings in spring training for the Bucs, allowing just one earned run, and has struck out nine, albeit with a pair of walks. He hasn’t regained his velocity, sitting at just 93 MPH (compared to 97.3 MPH pre-surgery), but his slider has gained nearly five inches of downward movement compared to last season. Rainey’s slider could be his key to success in 2025, as he got a swing and miss at a 46.3% rate and held opposing batters to just an 86.9 MPH exit velocity against it when they did make contact last season.

If the Pirates opt to carry only two lefties in the bullpen, DFA Wentz, and send Borucki to Triple-A to start the year, then Rainey could find himself on the Pirates’ Opening Day roster to start the season. He’ll have more to prove, given his last three seasons have been disappointing, but starting him in a low-leverage middle-inning role could be a good chance for him to rebound.

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