Bryan Reynolds has never been easy to pin down. The Pirates have spent years waiting for him to climb all the way back to the 2021 version of himself, the one who hit .302/.390/.522 with a 140 wRC+ and looked like he might be heading toward an MVP-caliber run.
He hasn’t reached that ceiling again, and 2025 brought a little more frustration to the mix. Still, the bigger story in 2026 is that Reynolds quietly put together something historic.
That became clear in the Sept. 22 series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals, when Reynolds launched his major-league-leading 40th double of the season.
That swing didn’t just put him atop the league in doubles. It also landed him in rare Pirates company.
He became the first Pittsburgh player since Nate McLouth in 2008 to reach 40 doubles, and the only switch-hitter in franchise history besides Bobby Bonilla, who had 44 in 1991, to get there.
BRYAN REYNOLDS SAVED US
His recent doubles surge made sure 2026 wouldn’t become the first 162 game season where no one hit 40 doubles 🤯 pic.twitter.com/69OVFX9GLH
- Fuzzy (@fuzzyfromyt) September 24, 2026
Even with that milestone, Reynolds’ season still carries the same familiar shape: big peaks, frustrating dips. He entered Friday hitting .261/.365/.422 with 17 home runs and a 117 wRC+.
That’s a solid line, but not the sort that screams superstar. And for a player like Reynolds, solid has often felt like not quite enough.
There were stretches when he looked every bit like the middle-of-the-order force Pittsburgh needs. From late May through the end of June, Reynolds caught fire and ran off a 34-game on-base streak. During that stretch, the Pirates’ offense was rolling, and the two-time All-Star was a major reason why.
But the finish has not matched the beginning. Reynolds’ .878 first-half OPS has dropped to .653 down the stretch. His home-road split has been just as odd, with a .897 OPS at PNC Park and a .678 mark away from it.
He has also taken a beating simply by being available. Reynolds has played 154 games or more in each of the last three seasons, and he has appeared in at least 145 games every year since 2021. That kind of workload means he’s been playing through bumps and bruises, and those nagging issues can add up.
There’s another layer here, too: Reynolds is no longer a strong defender, which makes more designated hitter time in 2027 look like a sensible way to lighten the load. More DH days, along with more regular rest, could help keep him fresher and more effective.
And the Pirates will need that version of him. Reynolds is one of the club’s elder statesmen and an important voice in the clubhouse, but he also remains a key piece if Pittsburgh is going to push back toward the postseason.
If the team can manage him better and build in more breathers next season, there’s still room for his best work yet. Without that, it could look a lot like this year: good, but not great.
In Other News...
Pirates Final Series Puts Two Young Arms Under A Real Spotlight
The Pirates head into their final three games of the 2026 season with a pair of young starters set for the spotlight, as Bubba Chandler and Jared Jones are lined up to bookend the series against the Tigers. It has been a season defined in part by attrition on the pitching staff, with injuries forcing Pittsburgh to lean more heavily on its bullpen and a short list of healthy arms, which has only raised the importance of every turn in the rotation down the stretch.
Chandlers year has had its rough patches, but he has settled in better in the second half and now gets one more chance to show how far he has come. Jones, meanwhile, has been one of the brighter stories on the staff since returning from surgery, turning in a strong September and giving the Pirates a late reminder of what he can look like when he is right. With the season ending and the workload still tight, this series offers a clear look at two pitchers the club will be watching closely into the offseason. [Read more 🡒]
Kirby Yates Just Raised An Interesting Question About His Pirates Future
Kirby Yates arrived in Pittsburgh after a trade from the Los Angeles Angels and gave the Pirates exactly the kind of late-season stability a contending bullpen can use. Over 14 outings, the right-hander posted a 2.03 ERA, and he made it clear he valued the opportunity to join a club he sees as having real talent and room to do more next season.
Now the bigger question is what comes next for Yates himself. He is out of contract at the end of the season and is weighing whether to keep pitching or step away, which leaves the Pirates with an experienced arm to think about as they shape their bullpen plans. For a team he praised as strong and promising, his decision could matter well beyond this years final stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Fans Know This Year's Biggest Problem Isn't In The Dugout
The Pirates latest stretch of frustration has made the bigger picture hard to ignore, especially with the club now sitting through an 11th straight missed postseason and still chasing its first playoff win in 14 years. Even so, there is at least a sliver of reason for hope in the standings next season, with a winning record still within reach even if a playoff run looks unlikely in 2026.
What makes the conversation around the franchise so pointed is that the dugout does not appear to be the main issue. Don Kelly is expected to stay on as manager, and Ben Cherington is also likely to remain in charge of the front office, despite the criticism aimed at the way the roster has been built. For Pirates fans, the question is less about who is standing where and more about whether the organization can finally solve the larger problem that has kept the team stuck. [Read more 🡒]