Pirates’ Johnson Patiently Preparing In Pittsburgh’s Process

Pittsburgh Pirates’ Termarr Johnson is a patient young man.

When entering the Pirates’ clubhouse at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Florida, if you make a hard right turn immediately, this is where you can find Johnson dressing on game day. The first stall belongs to first baseman Spencer Horwitz, then Johnson, and to his left is outfielder Dominic Fletcher’s dressing area.

Of the three, Horwitz is a shoo-in to go north with the Pirates as an everyday player in manager Don Kelly’s lineup. Fletcher, who signed a minor league deal with Pittsburgh just before Christmas, is doing his best to impress the coaching staff. He has MLB experience. Johnson is hoping to see his first MLB game from the field in 2026.

Heading into Thursday’s Grapefruit League game in Bradenton with the visiting St. Louis Cardinals, Johnson has seen action in six games and has been limited to 11 at-bats. When Johnson, the Pirates’ top draft pick in 2022 (4th overall), has been given innings this spring, he’s making the most of getting on base.

Scraping together five hits and eight total bases, Johnson is making a case for more game experience through March. Conventional wisdom says the Johnson is ticketed for Triple-A Indianapolis when camp breaks in three weeks. When reviewing his steady rise in the Pirates’ minor league chain, being with the Indians, at least to start the International League season, makes sense.

When he arrived in Bradenton as an 18-year-old from Atlanta after signing with the Pirates, it wasn’t long before Johnson’s hustle was turning heads. Beginning with the Florida Complex League at Pirate City, Johnson outgrew opposing pitchers and soon was promoted to the Marauders of the Florida State League.

Progress was evident the following season, in 2023, as Johnson began April with the Marauders, and then packed his bags when being elevated to the High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers. 2024, again, saw Johnson progressing up the organization’s affiliates ladder. Starting the season in Greensboro, Johnson then took his talents to Double-A Altoona.

Last season, playing all of 2025 with the Altoona Curve saw Johnson grow as a player. Batting 2.72 and swiping 20 stolen bases kept the scrappy second baseman busy in 119 games. Given his track record, Indianapolis seems a logical stop for Johnson next month.

Besides growth as a player facing Triple-A pitching, last December, Pittsburgh traded for Brandon Lowe. An all-star who played with the Tampa Bay Rays for eight seasons, Lowe is in the final year of a six-year contract extension that he signed in March 2019. At the end of this coming season, Lowe is expected to test free agency.

Unless the Pirates re-sign Lowe, with a year’s experience playing opposite Triple-A players, some with MLB experience, others knocking on MLB’s door, Johnson would be ready next spring to battle for the starting second baseman’s job. Johnson is confident in his skills and feels he is ready to test himself against big leaguers now.

“Honestly, I think it’s moving slow. I’d like it to move faster,” Johnson says of his moving through the various levels of the minor leagues. “It’s out of my control. My job is to get ready to play the game, everyday. I know in my heart that I’m ready for any level.”

A betting person could easily see a Pirates middle infield of Konnor Griffin at shortstop and Johnson, his double play partner at second base, for many seasons into the future. This could very much be the case with the Indians, at least at the start of the season, a Griffin-Johnson combo. Griffin isn’t guaranteed a roster spot with the Pirates. Pairing the two top draft picks with the Indians, for however long, could remind some fans of the 19-seasons double play duo of Alan Trammel and Lou Whitaker that the Detroit Tigers enjoyed from the late 1970s until 1995.

Seasoning at Triple-A could help Johnson’s growth, at this time, more than sporadic plate appearances or late-inning defense calls with the Pirates. If all goes well and Johnson remains healthy, a September call-up wouldn’t be out of the question.

With three weeks of spring training left, Johnson continues to get his work in and remains positive that he’s being noticed by folks in player development.

“I was 18 when I was introduced to the Pirates' way. I have a good idea of what I need to do every single day. I know what preparation looks like. I’ve had a lot of experience playing good, not playing good, and playing hurt. Playing hard is what I do best," Johnson said.

Getting familiar, at least at this point of the schedule, with Indianapolis coaches and manager Eric Patterson would bide time for Johnson. Nick Gonzales, the Pirates' regular second baseman last season, is penciled in to be among those being looked at to start the season at shortstop, should Griffin be outrighted to Indianapolis. Nick Yorke, also with MLB experience with Pittsburgh, and Enmanuel Valdez are battling for a spot on the club’s 26-man roster. Both are infielders. Then, with Jared Triolo expected to be the third baseman when the Pirates open the season on March 26 at the New York Mets, the logjam of infielders isn’t inviting newcomers.

Johnson, 21, has moxie. He’s ready to be tested by the best baseball players in the world. A detour at Triple-A could be what’s best for his future.