The Pirates are making a familiar kind of move before Tuesday’s doubleheader at Yankee Stadium: add a pitcher, give the club some extra bullpen cover, and sort the rest out afterward.
Pittsburgh announced that right-hander Noah Murdock will serve as the team’s 27th man for the July 22 twin bill against the New York Yankees, making him available for both games. MLB clubs are allowed one extra player for doubleheaders, and the Pirates have typically used that spot on a pitcher. They did the same thing for their last doubleheader, calling up Khristian Curtis for the July 18 game against the Cleveland Guardians before sending him back down the next day when the roster returned to the standard 26.
That’s the likely path here as well. Murdock should give the Pirates another arm out of the bullpen, which matters even more if one of the games gets long or stretches into extra innings.
Pittsburgh’s bullpen now includes six right-handers in Wilber Dotel, Isaac Mattson, Carmen Mlodzisnki, Murdock, Yohan Ramírez and Dennis Santana, along with three left-handers in Brandon Eisert, Mason Montgomery and Gregory Soto.
Murdock was added to the 40-man roster on July 5 and optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis that same day. He had an assignment clause in his minor league deal with the Pirates, meaning if another team was going to add him to its 26-man roster, Pittsburgh either had to release him or put him on the 40-man. The Pirates chose the latter.
The right-hander has already logged big league time. Last season with the Athletics, his first MLB campaign, he appeared in 14 games and threw 17.0 innings, finishing with a 13.24 ERA, 21 strikeouts, 20 walks, a .347 batting average allowed and a 2.71 WHIP.
In Other News...
Pirates Just Sent A Troubling New Signal On Oneil Cruz
Oneil Cruzs latest injury update is the kind of news the Pirates had to handle carefully, even if it doesnt make the outlook any brighter. Pittsburgh needed another roster move this week, and the club used the opening to bring pitcher Khristian Curtis onto the 40-man roster after his MLB debut against the Guardians, a reminder that the Pirates are juggling short-term pitching needs while waiting on one of their most dynamic players to get right.
Ben Cherington said Cruz is still dealing with symptoms tied to the broken bone in his hand, particularly when swinging and making contact, which is why the team chose to give him more time. For a Pirates lineup that could use Cruzs power and athleticism, the delay matters almost as much as the injury itself, because it leaves his return timeline murky and keeps the club from counting on him anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Just Got A Brutal Doubleheader Surprise From The Yankees
The Pirates are already staring at a tricky Wednesday doubleheader, and the matchup got a little more difficult when the Yankees lined up Max Fried to start the second game. Fried has been on the injured list since mid-May with a bone bruise in his left elbow, and his return gives New York another proven arm as it tries to keep its rotation steady through a busy stretch.
For Pittsburgh, the concern is not just that Fried is back, but that the Yankees can now pair him with Gerrit Cole and Cam Schlittler in a group that looks deeper than it did a week ago. Fried made one rehab start with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before rejoining the staff, and the only real question left is how much the Pirates will have to deal with in his first outing off the injured list. [Read more 🡒]