Bubba Chandler's Opening Day roster status, pitching rotation spot revealed by Pirates

Bubba Chandler's Opening Day roster status, pitching rotation spot revealed by Pirates originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Bubba Chandler might have already lost the prospect shine now stolen in the Pittsburgh Pirates ' organization by Konnor Griffin.

But in reality, Chandler is still one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, and now he's ready for his moment. There wasn't a ton of question about it, but the Pirates made it official this weekend that Chandler will be on the major league roster. They've also laid out the opening week pitching rotation, which is nice to know.

And for this, the plan is for Chandler to pitch on Tuesday, March 31 against the Cincinnati Reds . That will make him the fifth starter to take to the mound for Pittsburgh to begin the season. How Don Kelly said the #Pirates rotation will start 2026: - Thursday, March 26 (Mets): Paul Skenes - Saturday, March 28 (Mets): Mitch Keller - Sunday, March 29 (Mets): Carmen Mlodzinski - Monday, March 30 (Reds): Braxton Ashcraft - Tuesday, March 31 (Reds): Bubba Chandler pic.

twitter. com/EhrE582MoV — Austin Bechtold (@AustinRBechtold) March 22, 2026 MORE: Big Papi's son has a special moment for the Red Sox Outside of Paul Skenes, Chandler still has the most excitement on that list. After making his MLB debut, it just slightly lowers everything that comes out of his hype, but that doesn't mean he wasn't a hyped-up pitching prospect.