MiLB Monday: Kyler Fedko is ‘on cloud nine' after signing with his hometown Pirates

Minor league Monday is a weekly notebook highlighting the past week of baseball from the Pirates' four full-season minor league affiliates. All prospect rankings are per MLB Pipeline. When Kyler Fedko was released by the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday and became a free agent, a number of major league teams reached out. Wanting to make the best choice, both for his career in general and with his ACL injury in mind, Fedko, his agent and his family spent time trying to pick the right offer. The Pirates were one of them. Fedko, a Gibsonia native and the son of longtime WPXI sportscaster John Fedko, was excited. But he wanted to ensure the allure of his hometown team didn't sway his thinking. Eventually, they came to a decision. It wasn't the Pirates. 'I had told a lot of people that I was going to [the] different team, and they were like, 'Oh, that's sick, but oh bro, it would have been sick if you went to the Pirates,' ' Fedko said. 'And I was like, 'Yeah, I know, it would have been really cool.' ' But before they reached out to the other team, something told them to sit on it for a little bit longer. After some more reflection, they realized that joining the hometown club made sense for Fedko after all. The local product and Vincentian Academy alum signed a minor league deal in Bradenton on Friday. 'I'm still on cloud nine just to be here,' Fedko said. 'I am so proud to even be given a shot to try to play at PNC Park and play for the Pirates.' The decision came down to organizational fit and how the Pirates view injured players. There'll be opportunities for Fedko as a righty-hitting outfielder, a profile the Pirates don't have too much depth in. They're also willing to be patient with the ACL injury he suffered in August, a perspective not all teams shared. It'll be awhile before Fedko is healthy. He's currently on crutches, but he'll be cleared to put weight on the knee in two weeks. There's plenty to do before he can be back in major league consideration, as he was when he made his MLB debut in June. 'I really think I can be back on a field in eight months,' said Fedko, which would line up to May 2027. 'Realistically, it'll probably be nine or 10, but it's just a matter of when can I get on the field, and then from there, it's just 'how many homers can you hit?' ' That power has become a key part of his game. He ended up on the MLB radar by hitting 28 homers between Double-A and Triple-A in 2025. When those numbers continued — he was hitting .274 in Triple-A with 17 homers and a .907 OPS — he was called up for his debut, playing 14 games for the Twins. He compared the surprise of signing with the Pirates to unwrapping a present under the Christmas tree. 'It's one of those things where you knew that you were going to work hard — I wanted to get back and be with the Twins, obviously — but it makes me want to work even harder now that I'm with the Pirates,' Fedko said. 'It means just an unbelievable amount to be with the Pirates.' Playoff pictures High-A Greensboro clinched a South Atlantic League playoff spot by taking the first three games of their series at Asheville (Astros) and winning five of six. Their 41-25 second-half record was the second-best in the league, but because Frederick (Orioles) also won the first half, Greensboro clinched a spot. Greensboro will start a three-game series against Frederick on Tuesday, hosting the opener before playing Thursday and Friday (if necessary) in Maryland. The winner will face either Winston-Salem (White Sox) or Bowling Green (Rays) for the championship. Triple-A Indianapolis leads its division, but the team is one game behind Rochester (Nationals) for a playoff spot after dropping four of six at Toledo (Tigers). Indianapolis has 12 games left in the season. Double-A Altoona is eliminated from playoff contention with seven games to go. Low-A Bradenton's season concluded on Sunday. Farm records and results Triple-A Indianapolis: 36-27, first in International League West second half; 67-71 overall Last week: lost four of six at Toledo (Tigers) Double-A Altoona: 25-37, sixth in Eastern League Southwest second half; 56-75 overall Last week: split six-game series at Harrisburg (Nationals) High-A Greensboro: 41-25, second in South Atlantic League North second half; 82-50 overall Last week: won five of six at Asheville (Astros) Low-A Bradenton: 24-38, sixth in Florida State League West; 55-72 overall Last week: split six-game series hosting Lakeland (Tigers) Starting nine 1. RHP Antwone Kelly (Triple-A): Kelly threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings on Thursday, striking out five and allowing just two hits. He's struggled a bit with his command of late but has worked out of it. The 23-year-old is now eligible to return to the majors and seems likely to get another opportunity in the final weeks. 2. 1B Nick Cimillo (Triple-A): Cimillo, 26, homered four times in five games this week, including a 3-for-3 day on Tuesday with two homers and a triple. Cimillo, a 16th-round draft pick out of Rutgers in 2022, is hitting .199 in his first season at Indianapolis, though he does have 14 homers. 3. INF Duce Gourson (Triple-A): Gourson, the Pirates' No. 26 prospect, is hitting .274 with a .796 OPS in 42 games in Indianapolis after hitting .227 with a .732 OPS in 79 games in Altoona. He started a five-run, ninth-inning rally on Sunday with an RBI triple, sparking a key win for Indianapolis' playoff push. 4. 3B Murf Gray (Double-A): A three-hit Thursday helped push Gray's Double-A average up to .244, and he reached base in all five of his appearances in Harrisburg. The 22-year-old, baseball's 94th-ranked prospect, has reached base in 37 of 39 appearances in Altoona. 5. RHP Levi Sterling (High-A): Sterling, who turned 20 on Wednesday, celebrated his birthday with his best start since being promoted to High-A. The Pirates' No. 12 prospect struck out nine in five innings, allowing two hits, both solo homers. Field dimensions were a factor with the first, as center field in Asheville is just 373 feet away. 6. C Axiel Plaz (High-A): Plaz was one of the Grasshoppers who took advantage of those dimensions, homering in three of four games he played in Asheville and driving in eight. The 21-year-old, ranked as the Pirates' No. 7 prospect, has broken out this season with a .305 average, 17 homers, 74 RBIs and a .902 OPS. 7. SS Wyatt Sanford (High-A): Sanford, the Pirates' No. 5 prospect, homered in four of five games in Asheville. He's one away from a 20-homer year despite missing nearly two months with an injury. The 20-year-old has played 16 games at second base this year, perhaps a future spot for him with Konnor Griffin entrenched at shortstop. 8. 3B/1B Brent Iredale (Low-A): Iredale was promoted Sunday to Greensboro, a bump up for the playoff run after the 23-year-old Aussie hit .242 with 14 homers and 42 RBIs in Bradenton. 9. RHP Zander Mueth (Low-A): It was a frustrating season for Meuth, the 21-year-old right-hander selected with the No. 67 overall pick in 2023, as he missed two-and-a-half months with an injury and had an 8.66 ERA in his 35 1/3 innings in Bradenton. However, he had two solid relief outings this week, including a two-inning appearance on Tuesday where his fastball hit 99 mph. © 2026 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Visit www.post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request.