The Pirates are turning to another bullpen shuffle as they try to steady a relief corps that has been in trouble for much of 2026.
Before their July 1 game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, Pittsburgh optioned right-handed reliever Brandan Bidois to Triple-A Indianapolis and brought back right-hander Cam Sanders, who is now in his fifth stint with the club this season.
Bidois’ time with the Pirates started when he was recalled on May 12, first landing on the taxi squad before moving onto the 26-man roster. He debuted the next day against the Colorado Rockies and became the first ever Australian to play for the Pirates.
His numbers with Pittsburgh were rough. In 15 outings covering 15.2 innings, Bidois put up a 6.32 ERA, struck out 20 and walked 12, while allowing a .297 batting average and posting a 1.98 WHIP.
His latest outing came in the Pirates’ 8-0 loss to the Phillies on June 30. Bidois was tagged for four hits, a walk and three runs while recording only two outs, and Pittsburgh eventually turned to position player Tyler Callihan for the final out.
The Pirates checked on Bidois during that appearance, but manager Don Kelly said before the game that the testing “all came out good” and that there was no injury concern, especially since Bidois was not placed on the injured list.
His workload had already dipped before that. Bidois went 12 days between outings from June 14 to June 26 before taking the mound again against Philadelphia.
Now he heads back to Indianapolis, where he’ll have a chance to get more innings and work on his game in hopes of earning another look.
Sanders is getting another opportunity too, but the margin is thin. If the Pirates option him again, they’ll have to place him on waivers. He has spent just 11 days with the team this time around and has made six appearances, going 6.00 innings with a 9.00 ERA, eight strikeouts, five walks, a .261 batting average allowed and a 1.83 WHIP.
Pittsburgh’s bullpen mix now includes five right-handers - Isaac Mattson, Carmen Mlodzinski, Yohan Ramírez, Dennis Santana and Sanders - along with three left-handers in Mason Montgomery, Evan Sisk and Gregory Soto.
The timing could at least work in Sanders’ favor. The Pirates are in the middle of 13 games in 13 days, with four more to play after July 1, including a weekend series against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park from July 3-5. That stretch should give him chances to make a case.
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