Pirates Make Long-Awaited Promotion Of Top Prospect

The Pirates made a potentially franchise-altering promotion earlier this week.

Pittsburgh promoted infielder Termarr Johnson to Double-A Altoona on Sunday, putting the No. 4 pick in the 2022 MLB Draft just two stops away from the big leagues.

Johnson spent nearly a full season playing with High-A Greensboro, posting a .372 on-base percentage with 13 home runs and 20 stolen bases across 110 games this season. The Pirates, after shifting Oneil Cruz to the outfield, hope their former top pick can hold up at shortstop and continue to show growth at the plate.

“I’m very happy from where I’m at,” Johnson told Andrew Destin of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “My body feels like I can keep it going — I can probably hit another gear.”

MLB Pipeline currently ranks Johnson as the team’s No. 3 prospect and the No. 83 overall prospect in baseball. He represented the Pirates at the All-Star Futures Game in 2023 and was labeled as the best minor-league position player in the system last year. Pittsburgh likely will keep him on a steady path down in the minors, with an early 2026 arrival seeming most likely.

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