2026 Stats
W-L
0-2
ERA
5.32
WHIP
1.55
K
25
SV
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
2026 Fantasy Outlook
Right elbow inflammation limited Lawrence to just 17.1 frames in 2025, but the right-hander was effective in those innings. The 31-year-old posted a win and six holds across 17 appearances with a respectable 0.51 ERA (3.06 SIERA), 0.96 WHIP and 23:8 K:BB. Among pitchers who tossed a minimum of 100 sweepers in 2025, Lawrence produced the 4th-best slugging percentage against (.114) and 8th-best batting average against (.086) for that pitch type. While the sample was small, he threw his sweeper at a 50.0 percent clip last year. If that trend continues, and Lawrence is able to put his elbow injury from 2025 behind him, he could resurface as a potential closer-in-waiting candidate. On the flip side, Lawrence's reliance on two pitches could work against him, especially since his mid-90's sinker hasn't been effective throughout his MLB career. Read Past Outlooks
Signed a one-year, $1.225 million contract with the Pirates in January of 2026.
DFA'd by Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh designated Lawrence for assignment Friday.
Analysis
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.
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.
Pitching Stats
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2026 MLB Game Log
2026
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
Minor League Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
17
Last 10 Games
17
Last 5 Games
20
How many pitches does Justin Lawrence generally throw?
1-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100
101-110
111-120
121+
What part of the game does Justin Lawrence generally pitch?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2024
-9%
BAA vs RHP
2026
-20%
BAA vs RHP
| BAA | K | BB | H | HR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2024vs Left | .288 | 29 | 27 | 44 | 8 |
| Since 2024vs Right | .262 | 64 | 26 | 60 | 5 |
| 2026vs Left | .278 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 3 |
| 2026vs Right | .222 | 16 | 7 | 12 | 1 |
| 2025vs Left | .136 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| 2025vs Right | .162 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| 2024vs Left | .326 | 11 | 16 | 31 | 5 |
| 2024vs Right | .304 | 34 | 17 | 42 | 4 |
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2024
-31%
ERA on Road
2026
-19%
ERA at Home
| ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2024Home | 6.12 | 1.76 | 50.0 | 7.7 | 4.1 |
| Since 2024Away | 4.20 | 1.40 | 49.1 | 9.1 | 5.5 |
| 2026Home | 4.76 | 1.41 | 11.1 | 8.7 | 3.2 |
| 2026Away | 5.91 | 1.69 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 6.8 |
| 2025Home | 0.00 | 1.00 | 9.0 | 8.0 | 4.0 |
| 2025Away | 1.04 | 0.92 | 8.2 | 15.6 | 4.2 |
| 2024Home | 8.49 | 2.12 | 29.2 | 7.3 | 4.6 |
| 2024Away | 4.50 | 1.43 | 30.0 | 6.3 | 5.4 |
Minor League Left/Right Pitching Splits (AAA)
Since 2024
-18%
BAA vs RHP
2026
No Stats
| BAA | K | BB | H | HR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2024vs Left | .333 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Since 2024vs Right | .273 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 2026vs Left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2026vs Right | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025vs Left | .222 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025vs Right | .200 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2024vs Left | .667 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2024vs Right | 1.000 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Stat Review
How does Justin Lawrence compare to other relievers?
This section compares his stats with all relief pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 30 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
K/BB
2.08K/9
10.2BB/9
4.9HR/9
1.6Fastball
95.7 mphERA
5.32WHIP
1.55BABIP
.327GB/FB
1.47Left On Base
49.3%Exit Velocity
84.0 mphBarrels/BBE
5.0%Spin Rate
2587 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
25.7%Swinging Strike
10.6%Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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2024 Fantasy Outlook
Lawrence's trend of throwing more sweepers continued in 2023, as it's his most successful offering. The 29-year-old held opposing hitters to a .149 batting average and .236 slugging percentage on his sweeper, while 63 of his 78 total strikeouts came on the pitch. In fact, it was the 2nd-best sweeper in the league according to Statcast Run Value (14). On the flip side, Lawrence's mid-90's sinker yielded plenty of contact (.333 BA), with many balls in play hit on the ground (48.5%). Still, Lawrence was reliable enough in the late innings to take over Colorado's closing duties in June. He maintained the role for a little over two months, racking up a career-high 11 saves that were 2nd-most on the team. A rough August (8.31 ERA, 3 BS) relegated Lawrence back to the 7th and 8th innings, but he's a good bet to see save chances again sometime in 2024 as one of the Rockies' best relief pitchers.
More Fantasy News
Scoreless inning in loss
Lawrence tossed a scoreless inning with one strikeout Monday in the 4-2 loss to the Cardinals.
Analysis
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Settles with Pittsburgh
The Pirates and Lawrence avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.225 million contract Thursday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.
Analysis
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Activated off injured list
The Pirates reinstated Lawrence (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Friday.
Analysis
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Begins rehab assignment
Lawrence (elbow) walked one and struck out three in a scoreless frame in his first rehab appearance with Single-A Bradenton on Tuesday.
Analysis
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Throwing off mound in Florida
Lawrence (elbow) has been throwing side sessions at the Pirates' spring training facility in Florida, MLB.com reports.
Analysis
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Could be dealt this winter
The Rockies are willing to listen to trade offers for Lawrence, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Analysis
Lawrence's 6.49 ERA in 2024 was among the worst in baseball and his 45:33 K:BB over 59.2 frames wasn't pretty, either. However, the reliever's sweeper can be a nasty pitch and it's possible teams would be bullish on how he could fare away from Coors Field. Lawrence, who turns 30 later this month, is under team control through 2028.
Lawrence's 6.49 ERA in 2024 was among the worst in baseball and his 45:33 K:BB over 59.2 frames wasn't pretty, either. However, the reliever's sweeper can be a nasty pitch and it's possible teams would be bullish on how he could fare away from Coors Field. Lawrence, who turns 30 later this month, is under team control through 2028.