This page may contain affiliate links. If you click and sign up, make a deposit, or place a wager, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Nationals' Justin Lawrence: Escapes with save in team debut
Rotowire
Lawrence secured the save Saturday against the Orioles, allowing no runs on one hit and one walk in a scoreless 10th inning.
Clayton Beeter kept Baltimore off the board with a scoreless ninth frame, and then Lawrence got the call for the 10th after Washington took the lead in the top of the inning. Lawrence, who was making his Nationals debut Saturday, has previous closing experience with the Rockies, though it's hard to envision him being trusted with consistent high-leverage work. Lawrence has a 7.76 ERA, 1.90 WHIP and 37:22 K:BB over 29 innings between the Pirates, Twins and the Nats this year.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Justin Lawrence: Scooped up on waivers by Nationals
Rotowire
The Nationals claimed Lawrence off waivers from the Twins on Wednesday.
Lawrence has struck out 37 in 28 innings between stints with the Pirates and Twins this season, but he's also walked 21 and posted an 8.04 ERA. He'll aim for more consistency as he joins the Nationals bullpen.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Justin Lawrence: Pushed off 40-man roster
Rotowire
Minnesota designated Lawrence for assignment Sunday.
The Twins dropped Lawrence from the 40-man roster to make room in the big-league bullpen for left-hander Kendry Rojas (triceps), who was reinstated from the 15-day injured list in a corresponding move. After the Twins acquired him from the Pirates on June 1, Lawrence made seven appearances for Minnesota and surrendered 12 earned runs on 10 hits and nine walks over six innings.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Justin Lawrence: Acquired by Minnesota
Rotowire
The Twins acquired Lawrence from the Pirates on Monday in exchange for cash considerations.
Lawrence was designated for assignment by the Pirates on Friday and will now head to Minnesota after recording a 5.32 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 25:12 K:BB across 22 innings out of the Pittsburgh bullpen this season. He'll likely slide into a low-leverage role in the Minnesota bullpen.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Justin Lawrence: DFA'd by Pittsburgh
Rotowire
Pittsburgh designated Lawrence for assignment Friday.
Lawrence was knocked around in his last appearance for Pittsburgh on Wednesday, allowing a home run and two walks across 1.2 innings. Over 22 innings this season, the 31-year-old posted a 5.32 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 25:12 K:BB. Lawrence was DFA'd by Pittsburgh to make space for the return of Jared Jones (elbow) from the injured list.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Justin Lawrence: Scoreless inning in loss
Rotowire
Lawrence tossed a scoreless inning with one strikeout Monday in the 4-2 loss to the Cardinals.
Lawrence was limited to just 17 appearances last season due to an elbow injury, but Monday's outing marked his 14th already in 2026. The sinker-sweeper pitcher has missed bats consistently, ringing up 16 strikeouts over his first 14 frames. Lawrence is pitching primarily in low-leverage situations for the time being, but that could change if he continues to consistently shut batters down (zero runs allowed in last six appearances).
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Justin Lawrence: Settles with Pittsburgh
Rotowire
The Pirates and Lawrence avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.225 million contract Thursday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.
Lawrence had been arbitration-eligible for the second time. The righty was limited to only 17 appearances in 2025 due to injury, but he was highly effective when on the bump, yielding just one run with a 23:8 K:BB over 17.2 frames. Lawrence should operate in a middle-relief role in 2026.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Justin Lawrence: Activated off injured list
Rotowire
The Pirates reinstated Lawrence (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Friday.
Elbow inflammation has kept Lawrence on the injured list since late April, but after more than four months on the shelf, the 30-year-old has been cleared to help out the Pirates for the final stage of the regular season. Lawrence was off to a strong start before getting hurt, posting a 0.79 ERA in 11.1 frames, but he struggled during his rehab assignment while surrendering seven earned runs in 7.1 innings. He'll likely be limited to middle relief upon rejoining Pittsburgh's bullpen. Meanwhile, the Pirates will send Colin Holderman to Triple-A Indianapolis to clear a roster spot.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Justin Lawrence: Begins rehab assignment
Rotowire
Lawrence (elbow) walked one and struck out three in a scoreless frame in his first rehab appearance with Single-A Bradenton on Tuesday.
Lawrence is finally game-ready again after missing nearly four months with right elbow inflammation. He'll likely require a handful of rehab outings before rejoining the Pirates bullpen. Lawrence had permitted just one run with a 15:6 K:BB over 11.1 frames before getting injured.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Justin Lawrence: Taking next steps
Rotowire
Lawrence (elbow) has been throwing side sessions at the Pirates' spring training facility in Florida, MLB.com reports.
Lawrence is making slow progress in his bid to return from the 60-day injured list. He'll face live hitters next and will also likely need a rehab assignment before being activated.
Lawrence (elbow) progressed to throwing from 120 feet Wednesday, MLB.com reports.
Lawrence has been sidelined since April 25 and received a platelet-rich plasma injection one month later. This is his first reported progress since, though he's still likely at least a few weeks away from being activated from the injured list.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Justin Lawrence: Set for three more weeks of rest
Rotowire
Lawrence recently received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right elbow and will rest for three weeks before beginning a throwing program, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.
Lawrence has resided on the injured list since April 23 after being diagnosed with inflammation in his right elbow. Though he's been out for nearly a month, Lawrence's condition hadn't shown much improvement, but the Pirates are hopeful that the PRP injection will provide some relief. The right-hander will likely operate as a middle reliever or setup man once he's ready to return from the IL, perhaps shortly before the All-Star break or soon after.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Justin Lawrence: Moved to 60-day IL
Rotowire
The Pirates transferred Lawrence (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list Saturday.
Lawrence was placed on the 15-day IL due to right elbow inflammation April 24. With his move to the 60-day injured list, the righty reliever isn't eligible to be activated until late June. Lawrence's move to the 60-day IL created room for fellow reliever Tanner Rainey, who had his contract selected from Triple-A on Saturday, to join the 40-man roster.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Justin Lawrence: Dealing with elbow issue
Rotowire
Lawrence was placed on the 15-day injured list due to right elbow inflammation on Thursday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.
Lawrence has been a key piece of the Pirates' bullpen, maintaining a 0.79 ERA and 0.97 WHIP across 11.1 innings to begin the season. It's unclear how long he will be sidelined, but Mike Burrows is set to slot in as a replacement relief arm.
Lawrence (1-0) picked up the win in Wednesday's 2-1 extra-innings win over the Cardinals, giving up a hit and a walk while striking out two over 1.2 scoreless innings of relief.
The former Rockie has had a strong start to his first season at a lower altitude. Through his first six appearances as a Pirate, Lawrence has a 1.35 ERA and 9:4 K:BB in 6.2 innings, adding a hold to Wednesday's win. With David Bednar trying to work things out at Triple-A and Colin Holderman (knee) on the shelf, Lawrence is Pittsburgh's top high-leverage option from the right side behind current closer Dennis Santana.
0:39
0:52
1:04
0:20
1:25
7:12
0:53
1:12
1:27
1:08
13:57
9:03
0:58
0:58
1:18
0:58
10:48
1:42
11:21
0:46
