The Pirates turned to a fresh arm before the finale with the Boston Red Sox, recalling left-hander Hunter Barco from Triple-A Indianapolis ahead of the Aug. 16 game at PNC Park.
Barco had been on the taxi squad before the move, giving Pittsburgh a ready option if needed. To clear space, the Pirates optioned right-hander Wilber Dotel to Indianapolis.
The pitching plan shifted as well. Right-hander Paul Skenes was no longer starting the game, and instead right-hander Lake Bachar, acquired from the Miami Marlins at the trade deadline, was set to take the ball. Bachar is a reliever by trade and is expected to work only as a spot starter, likely no more than three innings.
That is where Barco comes in. The Pirates are looking for him to bridge the gap out of the bullpen and provide roughly three to four innings behind Bachar. Indianapolis had originally lined Barco up to start on Aug. 16, but scratched him before the game, leaving him available for Pittsburgh’s call.
Barco already filled this type of role once for the Pirates this season. On July 30 against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park, he allowed two runs over three innings before returning to Triple-A.
Dotel’s move back to Indianapolis comes after he threw two scoreless innings in Pittsburgh’s 4-0 loss to Boston on the previous night.
With the roster shift, the Pirates’ bullpen includes right-handers Bachar, Camilo Doval, Isaac Mattson, Carmen Mlodzinski, Luke Weaver and Kirby Yates, along with left-handers Barco, Mason Montgomery and Gregory Soto. Doval, Mattson, Mlodzinski, Yates and Montgomery were expected to be available for the game against Boston.
This is Barco’s fourth stint with the Pirates in 2026 and the fifth of his career. He finished the 2025 season with the club.
His big-league numbers have been rough overall, with a 7.36 ERA across six outings and 14.2 innings, plus 12 walks, 10 strikeouts, a .317 batting average against and a 2.11 WHIP. One of the tougher outings came on April 28 against the St.
Louis Cardinals, when he allowed five runs over 4.2 innings in an 11-7 loss at PNC Park. He also arrived after that game had already started because a flight delay slowed his trip from Indianapolis.
Still, Barco has been sharper lately in Triple-A. Over his last four outings with Indianapolis, he has posted a 2.25 ERA in 16 innings, including six scoreless innings with one hit and two walks allowed in a 2-0 win over Iowa (Chicago Cubs) on Aug. 9.
The Pirates are hoping that stretch continues, with a few useful innings from Barco helping them chase their first series win in almost a month.
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