Pirates star confirms he will not be making drastic position switch for 2025 season

There had already been plenty of speculation about Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds potentially seeing time at first base in 2025, even before the news of Spencer Horwitz's injury broke. The Pirates had a gaping hole at first before they traded for Horwitz in December, and it had already been well documented that Reynolds had been doing practice drills at the position before the end of last season.

Once it was revealed that Horwitz, arguably Pittsburgh's biggest offseason trade acquisition, had undergone wrist surgery and would not be ready for Opening Day, the rumblings about Reynolds seeing time at first base grew even louder. But when the Pirates announced a position change for Reynolds at spring training, it wasn't the one people were expecting.

Pirates' Bryan Reynolds confirms he will not be making position switch for 2025 season

The Pirates announced last week that Reynolds, who primarily manned left field in Pittsburgh over each of the past two seasons, would be making the switch to right field in 2025 following the signing of veteran free agent Tommy Pham, who will primarily play in left. When asked if that switch from one corner of the outfield to the other could potentially involve a platoon role for him at first base, however, Reynolds seemed doubtful.

"It sounds like I'm a right fielder,” Reynolds said (via Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). “It helps to focus on that. Just focusing on that, being a right fielder."

Reynolds also told Hiles that the transition to right field looks to be “more of a permanent” one “for now," suggesting that the Pirates aren't going to be considering him as an option at first base anytime soon.

Reynolds has spent his entire professional career in the outfield, playing all three spots, but the rumors of him potentially making a move to first base started back in September when manager Derek Shelton told Hiles that Reynolds had previously expressed interest in playing first and had even gotten a first baseman’s glove.

Despite Reynolds' reported interest in the position, however, it makes sense that the Pirates wouldn't want to move him from the outfield. Considering he'll be playing alongside an aging and inconsistent left fielder in Pham and a developing center fielder in Oneil Cruz, Reynolds will be relied upon to be a stabilizing force in the Pirates' outfield this season.

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