Late prospect promotions are sucking Pirates fans back into believing for 2026

Pittsburgh Pirates pitching prospect Hunter Barco made his Major League debut on Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds, and he made franchise history in the process.

The southpaw, who was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday, entered the game in the bottom of the sixth inning with a 4-2 lead. He gave up a pair of singles to Miguel Andujar and Elly De La Cruz, putting runners at the corners, but he got two fielders choice groundouts and managed to get out of the jam without allowing a run to score.

Barco was credited with the win, making him the first Pirates southpaw to earn his first win in his MLB debut since Paul Maholm did so in 2005. The Pirates' No. 4 prospect and the No. 82 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, Barco allowed some hard contact in his debut, but got outs when he needed to. That sixth inning helped the Pirates played spoiler to their National League Central rivals, who are vying for a Wild Card spot during the final week of the season.

Barco started this season at Double-A Altoona, where he pitched 25 2/3 scoreless innings before earning a promotion to Triple-A. He continued his momentum at Indianapolis, going 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA in 27 appearances (23 starts) across both levels before his contract was selected by Pittsburgh.

Hunter Barco earns first MLB win as Rafael Flores impresses in Pirates catching debut

Tuesday's game was also a debut of sorts for Rafael Flores, who had previously appeared in two games for the Pirates at first base, but made his first MLB start at catcher in the series opener against Cincinnati.

The 24-year-old, who came to Pittsburgh from the New York Yankees in the David Bednar trade at the deadline, made a positive first impression behind the plate on Tuesday. He impressed with his arm, particularly in the bottom of the fifth inning, when he made a barehanded grab on a ball in the dirt and threw it to Nick Yorke at second base to tag TJ Friedl out and end the inning.

In his first two games with the Pirates last week, Flores played first base and recorded a pair of hits, including a double to left center field in his Major League debut Wednesday against the Chicago Cubs.

With Barco in line to compete for a rotation spot in 2026 and Flores looking for a chance to prove himself in a crowded field of catchers in Pittsburgh, these late-season call-ups have been prime opportunities for young players to showcase their skills in a low-stakes environment at the Major League level.

Both Barco and Flores are hoping to be key pieces for the Pirates next season, and their early performances with the club could be just enough to ignite fans' hope for a better team performance in 2026 – but there's still a lot of work left to be done.