CHICAGO — The Pirates are transferring Andrew Heaney to the bullpen, opening up a spot of their rotation that’s actually trigger for intrigue.
Supervisor Don Kelly instructed reporters at Wrigley Subject that Heaney shall be out there out of the bullpen for the rest of the season, beginning Saturday.
“He’s completely open to it, serving to the group in any means potential,” Kelly mentioned. “Simply making an attempt to place him in a great place, too, to assist us win a sport.”
The information was introduced after the pregame clubhouse media availability concluded, so Heaney was not instantly out there for remark.
The change comes after an elongated droop for Heaney. He has allowed 39 runs (37 earned) and 13 residence runs over his final 10 outings, 9 of which have been begins. That equates to an 8.19 ERA over his final 40 2/3 innings, elevating his season ERA to 4.99.
The Pirates don’t have an introduced starter for Sunday, and having an open spot within the rotation goes to spark hypothesis.
Bubba Chandler — the highest pitching prospect within the sport based on MLB Pipeline — is scheduled to begin for Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday, so assuming he isn’t a late scratch, he’s not going to be an possibility for this weekend. Even when he makes that begin with Indianapolis, he might very nicely be a candidate to take the spot.
Chandler isn’t on the 40-man roster at the moment, however the Pirates have two spots open. There will not be sufficient days within the season remaining for Chandler to lose his rookie standing, so assuming he doesn’t throw 50 Main League innings, he’ll nonetheless be thought-about a rookie for 2026.
Chandler isn’t the one pitcher value monitoring down the stretch. Johan Oviedo is eligible to be recalled from the Minors beginning Aug. 21, so he might be a candidate for Heaney’s spot within the rotation as nicely. Hunter Barco (the No. 87 prospect in baseball, per MLB Pipeline) has a 2.57 ERA within the Minors this 12 months, however he hasn’t thrown greater than 4 innings in a begin in his final 5 outings, so he is probably not as possible as a candidate. Thomas Harrington has made three Main League appearances, however is at the moment on Indianapolis’ injured listing with a proper groin pressure.
