Pirates must protect Braxton Ashcraft from the temptation he created

You can make a sound argument that Braxton Ashcraft has been the most dominant pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates this season. Not only has Ashcraft logged the most innings of any Pirates pitcher, but he also leads the staff in ERA, strikeouts, and WAR.

In fact, Ashcraft's 1.8 WAR are second only to Brandon Lowe's 2.5 on the entire Pirates roster. Ashcraft's talent has always been apparent on paper, and he's brought that potential fully to life in 2026. He's no longer flying under the radar, that's for sure.

Due to Ashcraft's consistent quality, the 26-year-old has created a tempting situation for the Pirates. It'll be difficult for Pittsburgh not to overexert Ashcraft and pile up his innings with him performing so well. But that would be a dangerous road for the Pirates to go down, given Ashcraft's injury history. Despite Ashcraft's excellence, the Pirates absolutely need to monitor his usage closely and make sure not to put his body at risk.

Braxton Ashcraft's injury history gives Pirates a ton of reasons to monitor his usage closely

In the first few years following his selection by the Pirates in the 2018 MLB Draft, Ashcraft underwent multiple surgeries, including Tommy John and a separate operation to repair a torn meniscus. Of course, these ordeals caused Ashcraft to miss hefty periods of time, which constantly delayed his development and had people wondering if he'd ever be able to reach his lofty ceiling as a prospect. Now that he's done exactly that (or is on track to), Pirates fans are just praying that this can last.

Ashcraft said this week that he's finally understanding how to take care of his body. This is music to Pirates fans' ears, but it also adds more temptation to the situation described above, in terms of Pittsburgh being lured into overusing the right-hander. Ashcraft is already one inning shy of his total innings pitched from last season (69 2/3), which means that he's officially about to enter uncharted durability territory in his Major League career.

It's a tough balancing act for Pittsburgh's coaching staff with Ashcraft. The Pirates are trying to win games and make the playoffs. They play in a tough division. More Ashcraft would help with all of that, with the way he's ben shoving; not to mention the fact that Ashcraft has been a huge reason why the Pirates have completely turned around their franchise culture this season and generated a ton of outside interest.

Ashcraft enters Sunday's start against the Minnesota Twins after coming off an impressive win against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday in which he allowed seven hits and just one earned run in 6 1/3 innings of work. He received a standing ovation from Pirates fans upon exiting the game.

Ashcraft now holds a 4-2 record, 2.75 ERA, and 1.05 WHIP in 2026 through 11 starts (68 2/3 innings). Stay on this course, and stay healthy!

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