Pirates to select outfielder Ronny Simon to MLB roster

What happened

The Pittsburgh Pirates are selecting outfielder Ronny Simon to the MLB roster, per MLB Trade Rumors' Alex Stumpf. The move requires corresponding roster moves on both the active and 40-man rosters, and as of the report, those moves had not yet been detailed.

The club has not issued a statement, and the Posterior Wire is treating this as a report, not a club announcement.

Why it matters

Roster construction in August carries a particular kind of operational weight. Under general league rules, active rosters hold 26 players through August 31, after which clubs may expand to 28 for the remainder of the regular season. The 40-man roster is the reserve list a player must appear on before he can be called up at all — so Pittsburgh faces a two-layer puzzle here: clearing a spot on the 26-man active roster and, if Simon is not already on the 40-man, making room there as well.

The report does not specify Simon's current roster status, his minor-league numbers, or the nature of the corresponding moves Pittsburgh intends to make. What it does establish is that the Pirates are adding an outfielder to their big-league group, and that the bookkeeping required to do so involves both roster tiers simultaneously.

That kind of dual-layer move typically points toward one of a few mechanisms: a player being designated for assignment, sent to the minors, or transferred to the 60-day injured list — the last of which removes a player from the 40-man count entirely. The report does not name any player being moved, so the desk will not speculate on which path Pittsburgh is taking.

Where the club stands

Pittsburgh enters this transaction at 82-80 (.506), sitting third in the NL Central, 21 games back in the division. Per MLB Trade Rumors' report, the Pirates have already been eliminated from both the division race and the Wild Card race, with a Wild Card rank of 5 and a position 6.0 relative to the cut line.

The club arrives here on a one-game winning streak — a W1 — which is the kind of detail that feels more meaningful in April than in August when the playoff math has already been resolved. Still, 82 wins is 82 wins, and a team playing out the string can still play meaningful baseball for the players on the roster, the prospects earning their first looks, and the organization evaluating what it has heading into the offseason.

That context makes a move like this one worth watching closely. When a club is eliminated and still adding a player to the active roster, the operational question shifts from "does this help us win now?" to "what does this tell us about how the front office views this player?" The report does not answer that question, but it frames it neatly.

Is Ronny Simon playing tonight?

The Pirates are next scheduled to play Wednesday, August 5, at American Family Field in Milwaukee, with Paul Skenes lined up against the Brewers' Kyle Harrison. The report does not specify whether Simon will be in the lineup for that game, and the corresponding roster moves had not been detailed at the time of publication.

Thursday's game in Milwaukee sends Braxton Ashcraft to the mound against Dustin May. The series then shifts to PNC Park on Friday, August 7, where Carmen Mlodzinski is the probable starter against the Mets' Zac Thornton.

Three games, two cities, three different starting pitchers — the schedule asks something of the full roster over the next several days, and an outfield addition gives Pittsburgh at least one more option in the mix.

What we don't know yet

The report from Alex Stumpf at MLB Trade Rumors is brief by design — a transaction note flagging the move as it develops, with more detail expected to follow. As of publication, several things remain unconfirmed.

The corresponding moves on the active roster and the 40-man roster have not been identified. It is not known whether Simon was already on the 40-man roster prior to this selection, which would determine whether one or two separate transactions are required. No timetable, no role description, and no club statement have been attached to the move.

Simon's minor-league statistics, service time, and contract status are not included in the report, and the desk will not supply them.

What to watch

The corresponding moves are the immediate story. Once Pittsburgh announces what it is doing on the other side of this transaction — whether that is a designation for assignment, a minor-league assignment, an IL transfer, or something else — the full shape of the roster decision becomes clear. A designation for assignment in particular would open a secondary story, since a player in that situation must be traded, released, or placed on outright waivers within seven days under general league rules.

Beyond the paperwork, Simon's role on a team playing out the schedule is worth monitoring. Late-season call-ups on eliminated clubs often serve an evaluative function — organizations using the final weeks to get a longer look at players who may factor into next year's plans. Whether that framing applies here is not stated in the report, but it is the natural question a front office would be answering with a move like this one.

The Milwaukee series starting Wednesday is the first test of how Pittsburgh deploys its newly adjusted roster. Paul Skenes on the mound in Game 1 means the offense will need to carry its weight, and an outfield with a fresh face is one more variable in how the club constructs its lineup card — though the report does not specify those plans, and the desk is not in the business of constructing them independently.

Check back as the corresponding moves are announced. The transaction is reportedly in motion; the full picture is still assembling itself.