Pirates All 40: Bucs Will Need More From Bryan Reynolds in ’26
This is one in a series breaking down players on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 40-man roster.
For most of his career, Bryan Reynolds had consistently been the Pirates’ top offensive performer.
Outside of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Reynolds has routinely been a well above-average contributor with consistent 20-plus home run power and healthy run production.
Reynolds has twice been named an All-Star — once in 2021 when he finished 11th in the National League MVP race and again in 2024 when he led the Pirates in batting average (.275) on-base percentage (.344), home runs (24) and RBI (88).
But Reynolds’ underwhelming performance in 2025 reflected the team’s offensive output as a whole.
The 30-year-old dealt with a a triceps injury early in the season which relegated him to strictly designated hitter duties. Once he returned to his position in right field, Reynolds provided solid defense but his offense remained lackluster.
Reynolds ended the season with a 99 OPS+, the second-lowest of his career (71 OPS+ in 55 games in 2020). He slashed .245/.318/.402, and while he set a career-high with 38 doubles, his 16 home runs were the fewest he’s hit in a full season and his 73 RBI was his lowest total since 2022.
Given that he’s on the wrong side of 30, there are some concerns whether or not Reynolds is on the downturn of his career. But the good news for Reynolds is that he looked much more like the player he has been for much of his career during the second half of the season. After the All-Star break, Reynolds slashed .276/.364/.453 with 21 doubles, a triple, six home runs and 27 RBI in 63 games.
Reynolds still has five guaranteed years and $75.25 million plus a $20 million club option and a $2 million buyout on franchise-record contract extension he signed in 2023.
Yes, if the Pirates want to get better offensively in 2026, some of that will have to do with external additions. But given how much Pittsburgh has relied on Reynolds as an anchor in the lineup and how much they are counting on him moving forward given his contract, a bounce-back season from Reynolds will also go a long way. And he’d be the first one to tell you that.
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Reynolds is probably my favorite Bucco in the last 15 years. I love his attitude and how he plays the game the right way, no matter what the score is. And he has talent. He can hit.
I think his woes are because he doesn’t thrive on being THE GUY. He does better in a supporting cast role. There needs to be other bats around him to suck up some of the stress and attention. I think he has a couple good years left in him.
Defensively, I do think they need to transition him more to DH. Maybe give him 50 games a year in RF. Apparently the first base experiment is not going to happen.