PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have only just started playing games in Spring Training, but have their first significant injury so far.

The Pirates announced that third baseman Jack Brannigan left the Grapefruit League game vs. the Philadelphia Phillies at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla. after getting struck with a batted ball.

Local and Pirates medical staff are currently examining Brannigan and the Pirates will give an update when they have one.

Minor leaguer Jesus Castillo took over for Brannigan at third base for the Pirates and is also hitting eighth vs. the Phillies.

More Injury Concern for Brannigan

Brannigan missed a great portion of last season due to injury and the Pirates will hope that this is just a minor ailment.

He played just 59 games for Double-A Altoona in 2025, as he went on the 7-day injured list on June 14 and then the full season injured list on July 21.

Brannigan suffered a torn labrum and underwent right shoulder labral repair surgery, which the Pirates anticipated would have him back early in 2026.

Him playing Spring Training games was a good sign and he’s been with Major League Camp this spring, after the Pirates protected him from the Rule 5 Draft at the end of last season, putting him on the 40-man roster.

Brannigan also missed all of August 2024 and a month in 2023 with injury, as he’s struggled staying on the field for a full season.

Jack Brannigan’s Tenure with the Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates took Brannigan with the 83rd overall pick in the third round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Notre Dame, where he was an All-American as a junior.

Brannigan played two games for the Florida Complex League (FCL) Pirates before playing 26 games for Single-A Bradenton, closing out 2022 by slashing. 211/.330./337 for an OPS of .667.

He started 2023 out with Bradenton, playing in 49 games and slashing .253/.398/.451 for an OPS of .849. He earned promotion to High-A Greensboro on July 21, and played in 38 games, slashing .299/.382/.605 for an OPS of .987.

Brannigan spent all of 2024 with Greensboro, but missed more than a month and a half with injury. he slashed .238/.344/.490 for an OPS of .834 in 77 games, with 69 hits, 15 doubles, two triples, 18 home runs, 53 RBIs and 40 walks to 89 strikeouts.

He spent the entire 2025 season with Double-A Altoona, slashing .225/.329/.358 for an OPS of .687 with 46 hits in 204 at-bats, eight doubles, two triples, five home runs, 30 RBIs, 25 walks to 62 strikeouts and nine stolen bases.

Brannigan has spent most of his time on the left side of the infield, with 107 starts in 114 games played at third base and 105 starts in 109 games at shortstop, with 82 appearances there the past two seasons.

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FHSU Athletics

PITTSBURG, Kan. – Fort Hays State improved to 18-9 overall and 10-8 in the MIAA with a 65-56 win at Pittsburg State on Saturday afternoon at John Lance Arena. The Tigers moved back above the Gorillas in the MIAA standings, who fell to 15-12 overall and 9-8 in the MIAA. FHSU took the lead for good with about six minutes remaining in the game, picking up its second-straight win over PSU going back to last season.

After Pittsburg State briefly held a few small leads in the first five and a half minutes of the game, FHSU took the lead with a little over 13 minutes remaining in the half and kept it all the way to half. A 6-0 burst by the Tigers, which included a 4-point play from Jahvari Martino, pushed their lead to 11 with under a minute to go. The Gorillas hit the final basket of the first half and FHSU led 31-22 at the break.

An 11-2 run by Pittsburg State erased FHSU’s nine-point lead over about a six-minute span, tying the game 44-44 with just under nine minutes to play. The Gorillas went into the lead by one point two times, but a Lucas Hammeke layup near the 6:00 mark put the Tigers back on top for good. That sparked a 9-0 run by the Tigers to go up eight, which featured a pair of baskets by Dan Mukuna and a 3-point field goal by Kyle Grill. The Gorillas got back within three at the 2:53 mark, but FHSU limited PSU to just two points the rest of the game and won by nine.

FHSU limited PSU to just 36.5 percent shooting from the field for the game, while shooting 41.4 percent overall. Mukuna led the scoring for FHSU with 14 points, while Martino had 12 and Hammeke had 11. FHSU did a great job protecting the ball with a season-low three turnovers, while forcing PSU into 14. The Tigers outscored the Gorillas 15-0 on points off turnovers.

Mason English and Donald Coats each had 12 points to lead PSU. Alijah Curry added 10. Coats finished with a double-double by securing 13 rebounds.

Fort Hays State returns home to host Nebraska-Kearney in the final home game of the regular season on Thursday night (Feb. 26). Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays.