Ryan O’Hearn’s first season in Pittsburgh ended with more than just a win.
The Pirates helped him get over the line for a $100,000 contract incentive in the Sept. 27 finale against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, when he reached 450 plate appearances for the 2026 season. He hit that mark in his second at-bat of the day in the third inning of Pittsburgh’s 4-2 victory, a game that also locked up a winning season for the club.
That bonus wasn’t a given. O’Hearn’s year was interrupted by injuries, including a right quad muscle strain that cost him 13 games in May and a left quad strain that kept him out for 36 games from August into mid-September. When he came back on Sept. 11, he had 15 games left, 398 plate appearances and needed at least 52 more to trigger the incentive.
Pittsburgh made sure he had a chance. O’Hearn appeared in 14 games and started all 14, and in the final two contests the Pirates pushed him higher in the order to help him collect the extra plate appearances. He led off for the first time in his MLB career in the 4-3 loss to Detroit on Sept. 26, then hit second the next day in the finale.
That approach stood in contrast to the Pirates’ handling of Rowdy Tellez, whom they designated for assignment in late 2024 just four plate appearances shy of 425, the number that would have unlocked a $200,000 bonus.
O’Hearn is a different player and a more important one, and the organization treated his situation differently. Pittsburgh signed him this offseason to a two-year, $29 million contract, making him the club’s first multi-year free agent signing in almost a decade.
On the field, O’Hearn gave the Pirates plenty to work with. He hit .265/.330/.440 with a .770 OPS in 110 games, collecting 108 hits, 17 doubles, and career highs with 18 home runs and 76 RBI.
His first half was especially strong. Through the All-Star break, he was batting .288/.351/.487 with an .838 OPS in 82 games, piling up 88 hits, 13 doubles, 16 homers and 63 RBI.
That stretch included the eye-popping July 7 performance against the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park, when he went deep three times and drove in 10 runs in a 12-4 win. He became the first Pirate and the 11th player in MLB history with double-digit RBI in a single game.
The second half told a different story. O’Hearn hit just .198/.268/.297 with a .565 OPS after the break, and the six-week injury absence only made that slump worse.
The Pirates will need the version of O’Hearn they got early in the year when 2027 rolls around, and he’ll have this offseason to work his way back to that form.
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