Pittsburgh's 25-Man Roster Set For Opening Day

The Pirates have finalised their 25-man roster ahead of today’s opener against the Chicago Cubs.

As expected, Charlie Morton, Francisco Liriano, Jeff Karstens and Brandon Inge will begin the year on the disabled list, with Inge retroactive to March 26^th and the others retroactive to March 22^nd. This means that Inge must remain on the DL until April 10^th, with the others eligible to return on April 6^th.

The Pirates had appeared to have no left-handed hitters on the bench (when the club faced a right-handed starting pitcher), however Garrett Jones is getting the Opening Day start in right field with Gaby Sanchez at first base – leaving Travis Snider on the bench:

1. LF: Starling Marte
2. RF: Garrett Jone
3. CF: Andrew McCutchen
4. 3B: Pedro Alvarez
5. 1B: Gaby Sanchez
6. 2B: Neil Walker
7. C: Russell Martin
8. SS: Clint Barmes
9. SP: A.J. Burnett

Whether Sanchez is the everyday first baseman remains to be seen. Nonetheless, the Opening Day roster will probably look very different at the end of the month, let alone the end of the season. Brandon Inge will likely replace Josh Harrison on the bench when he comes off the DL, with Jeff Karstens and Francisco Liriano joining the rotation when healthy. Furthermore, the Gerrit Cole watch will begin early in the season; however I assume that he will follow the same timetable that Starling Marte did last season if all goes to plan. 

Opening Day Roster:

Rotation:

1. AJ Burnett
2. Wandy Rodriguez (L)
3. James McDonald
4. Jonathan Sanchez (L)
5. Jeff Locke (L)

Bullpen:

• Jason Grilli (Closer)
• Mark Melancon
• Tony Watson (L)
• Jared Hughes
• Justin Wilson (L)
• Chris Leroux
• Jeanmar Gomez

Catchers:

• Russell Martin
• Michael McKenry

Infielders:

• Pedro Alvarez
• Clint Barmes
• Josh Harrison
• Garrett Jones
• John McDonald
• Gaby Sanchez
• Neil Walker

Outfielders:

• Starling Marte
• Andrew McCutchen
• Travis Snider
• Jose Tabata