Every season is an opportunity for a soon-to-be Rule 5 eligible prospect to earn a 40-man roster spot. Last year, the Pittsburgh Pirates added a handful of prospects to their 40-man roster to protect them from the draft. While Esmerlyn Valdez, Wilber Dotel, and Antwone Kelly are three of the Pirates’ best prospects, and were added to the 40-man before the draft, not every player added was a notable name. Some were under-the-radar prospects. This season, the Pirates may see these three potential 2026 Rule 5 eligible prospects earn that roster spot.
Jaden Woods
Of the seven players the Pirates added to the 40-man roster last December, three were relief prospects. That includes right-handers Brandan Bidois and Ryan Harbin, along with lefty Tyler Samaniego (who was traded to the Boston Red Sox alongside Johan Oviedo). This year, Jaden Woods could do something similar.
Woods was a seventh round pick by the Pirates in 2023. He was taken out of the University of Georgia. The left-hander spent his entire 2025 season at Double-A Altoona. He tallied 62 innings, all out of the bullpen, and worked to the tune of a 5.81 ERA and 1.65 WHIP, but a 4.23 FIP. His 22.7% strikeout rate was roughly league average, but he walked 11.4% of opponents. On the plus side, Woods was not home run prone, with a HR/9 of 0.73.
Woods primarily uses a sinker to get outs. He can run his sinkerball up into the mid-90s, and hit 96 MPH during his lone Spring Training outing this year. His go-to breaking pitch is a low-80s slider. FanGraphs gives Woods high praise for his mechanics and his cross-fire delivery. Overall, Woods has good stuff, and the mechanics to improve his control in the future. There’s a solid chance that if Woods has a quality season, he earns a 40-man roster spot.
Garrett McMillan
Garrett McMillan is another 2023 Pirates draft pick. The Bucs selected him in the 14th round, and the right-hander has silently dominated each level of the minor leagues. McMillan’s 2025 season was cut short due to injury. However, when he was healthy, he was dominant. In 48 innings, McMillan owned a 2.63 ERA, 3.10 FIP, and 0.96 WHIP. He struck out 24.2% of opponents, and had a strong 4.2% walk rate. McMillan pitched 19 of his 48 frames at Altoona, where he had a 4.26 ERA, but a 14.5% K-BB%, and 3.03 FIP.
This was his encore after posting a 2.18 ERA, 2.89 FIP, and 1.18 WHIP over 70.1 innings. McMillan worked as a swing-man type pitcher for A-Ball Bradenton and High-A Greensboro, making four starts in 36 appearances. McMillan struck out 28.2% of batters, with a 7% walk rate. McMillan also only allowed five home runs.
McMillan isn’t an overpowering hurler. He sits low-90s with his four-seamer and sinker. The right-hander has a very wide assortment of pitches at his disposal. McMillan will also throw a slider, curveball, change-up, and cutter. His high arm angle, above-average extension, and strong control makes his ordinary velocity play up. If he has another quality season, this time at Double-A Altoona, it’s hard not to imagine him not getting a 40-man roster spot.
Owen Kellington
Owen Kellington was a 2021, fourth round pick by the Pirates. The right-hander had an outstanding high school career in Vermont, and signed an over-slot deal with the Bucs. Kellington showed some promise with the Pirates in 2023. He pitched 80 innings at A-Ball Bradenton, working both as a starter and reliever, posting a 3.94 ERA, 4.77 FIP, and 1.40 WHIP. While Kellington had an unimpressive 14.5% walk rate, he also had a solid 26.2% K%, and only had a 0.90 HR/9 ratio. He was also much better in the second half, with a 2.86 ERA, 26.2% K%, 13.1% BB%, and 0.52 HR/9 ratio after the All-Star break.
That put Kellington in a good position heading into 2024. Unfortunately, his season ended before it even began as he underwent Tommy John surgery. He returned half-way through 2025, and put up some quality numbers down the stretch. Upon his return, Kellington posted a 3.31 ERA, 4.48 FIP, and 1.19 WHIP. He got 24.2% of batters to strikeout, and cut his walk rate down to 9.1% in 32.2 innings of work. Kellington was home run prone, with a 1.10 HR/9 ratio. However, his 12.9% HR:FB ratio, and 3.73 xFIP suggest some bad flyball luck.
Kellington also sits low-90s with his four-seam fastball. He throws two sliders. One is a more traditional, low-80s slider with high spin. At 2664 RPM, he led all Bradenton pitchers who threw at least 50 sliders in 2025. His sweeper has similar velocity and vertical movement, but nearly twice as much horizontal break. His primary breaking pitch is a mid-to-upper-70s curveball. All three of his breakers induced a whiff rate of at least 40%. He rounds out his pitch mix with a mid-80s change-up that has ride through the zone and arm-side action. Kellington was one of the Pirates’ many notable draft picks in 2021, and another promising year in 2026 could finally get him a 40-man roster spot.
