PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates made a late lineup decision ahead of their next Grapefruit League contest, with one of their top players no longer playing.
The Pirates originally had Brandon Lowe playing second base and hitting second against the Baltimore Orioles in their road matchup at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla. on March 11, but scratched him from the lineup.
José Negron of DK Pittsburgh Sports reported that the Pirates took Lowe out of the lineup due to lower body tightness, according to the Pirates’ medical team. Lowe will stay in Bradenton and go through a regular practice session instead of playing in the game.
The Pirates put Tyler Callihan in place of Lowe at second base and he will hit eighth in the lineup. Callihan joined the Pirates last week on March 4, as they traded with the Cincinnati Reds for him, exchanging right-handed relief pitcher Kyle Nicolas.
Injury History for Brandon Lowe
This isn’t the first injury that Lowe has dealt with in his major league career, missing a significant amount of time due to them the past few seasons.
Lowe was an All-Star in the 2019 season, his first full MLB campaign, and dealt with a right shin bruise, that put him on the injured list in early July.
Feb 25, 2026; North Port, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe (5) fields a ground ball in the second inning against the Atlanta Braves during spring training at CoolToday Park. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
He would miss the All-Star Game and the next 70 games, before returning for five of the final six games of the regular season and the postseason as well.
Lowe missed a great deal of games in the 2022 season, mostly dealing with low back discomfort and then a right triceps contusion as well. He only featured in 65 games all year, missing two months from mid May-mid July and then most of September.
He again dealt with low back discomfort in 2023 as well, missing a month of the season, and then fractured his right knee cap after fouling a ball off it in September, which saw him not play the final eight regular season games and in the two American League Wild Card games vs. the Texas Rangers.
Lowe missed more time with a right oblique strain early in 2024, keeping him out for 38 games.
He most recently dealt with left oblique tightness and left foot/ankle tendinitis in July 2025, missing 16 games across the month.
How Injury History has Affected Brandon Lowe
The Pirates brought Lowe in a trade, as they wanted a left-handed power bat that would excel at PNC Park and add home runs to a team that hit the least in the major leagues in 2025 (117).
Lowe’s power production is directly correlated to his time on the field, hitting his most home runs in the two seasons he played more than 130 games.
Season
Games
Home Runs
2018
43
6
2019
82
17
2020
56
14
2021
149
39
2022
65
8
2023
109
21
2024
107
21
2025
134
31
The Pirates added other power bats like free agents in Ryan O’Hearn and Marcell Ozuna, plus traded for outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia, who could develop into a top home run hitter.
Pittsburgh will thrive if Lowe can stay healthy this year and they’ll hope this isn’t anything too serious.