Phantom Pirates player somehow swinging the balance of the AL Wild Card race

Chances are you don’t remember Michael Helman's tenure with the Pirates (if you could even call it that). On May 14, the Pirates acquired the 29-year-old journeyman off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals so he could provide some middle infield depth in the system. 

A day later, they reversed course and designated Helman for assignment so they could free up a 40-man roster spot for Nick Solak. 

Helman ended up being claimed by the Texas Rangers, where he’s quickly turned into a fan favorite in Texas thanks to his strong play down the stretch as the Rangers try to work their way into the American League postseason picture. 

Michael Helman’s turned into a folk hero for the Rangers after being cut loose by the Pirates

After hitting .182 in a short eight-game tenure that spanned June and July, Helman was called up again by the Rangers at the end of August. He’s been one of the Rangers' best hitters since. 

Helman’s hit .273 with home runs, 13 RBI, two doubles, one triple and four walks in 15 games since being recalled — a span in which the Rangers have gone 12-3. 

He went supernova earlier this week when he drove in all five of the Rangers’ runs in their win over the Brewers on Monday, before mashing a home run on Tuesday to go along with a home run robbery.

His home run on Tuesday gave him 17 RBI across his first 17 games with the Rangers, making him the first player to record five home runs and 17+ RBI in his first 22 games with the franchise since Nathaniel Lowe in 2021. 

“I'm happy for this guy,” manager Bruce Bochy said of Helman, per MLB.com’s Kennedi Landry. “Here he is getting a chance and taking full advantage of it. He's been fun to watch. … He's had two terrific games, but he's helped us in some other games too. He's spent a lot of time in the minor leagues and put on waivers, all those things. I couldn't be happier for a guy like this. We're having fun with it, watching this guy play so well.”

Prior to this year, Helman’s lone major league appearance consisted of nine games with the Twins last season. He had hit .185 in 18 games at Triple-A with the Cardinals prior to the Pirates claiming him on waivers. 

While watching Helman succeed somewhere else doesn’t hit in the same way it does with someone like Quinn Preister, it’s still a bit depressing, especially considering they gave up his roster spot for Solak, who ended up going 1-for-11 in four games with the Pirates before being designated for assignment. 

The Pirates are at a point where they should be turning over every rock possible to try to find pieces for 2026 and beyond, and they chose to roll the dice on a more established major leaguer in Solak as opposed to trying to see what they had in Helman. It was a mistake. 

A marginal mistake, sure, but still a mistake.