The Pirates’ September rotation plan says as much about where the roster stands as it does about the team’s slipping playoff chase.
With Mitch Keller and Braxton Ashcraft both on the injured list, Pittsburgh is set to patch together two of its five rotation spots with bullpen games the rest of the way. General manager Ben Cherington backed that approach on his radio show Sunday, saying it gives the Pirates their best shot to win while also taking workload concerns into account this late in the year.
That logic makes sense on paper. But the bigger point is harder to miss: the Pirates are in a spot where they have to do this at all.
Pittsburgh entered Monday at 75-75, sitting 6.5 games behind San Diego for the final National League Wild Card spot with 12 games left and an elimination number of six. At that point, the postseason picture is all but gone. So the club can sell these decisions as a way to manage innings and preserve arms, rather than as a desperate scramble to stay alive.
That means Wilber Dotel, Carmen Mlodzinski, Khristian Curtis and Antwone Kelly can be used as bulk options, with the staff mixed and matched around them. It avoids asking pitchers to handle traditional starting jobs they may not be fully built to cover.
For the last two weeks, that might be the smartest way forward. It still isn’t the same thing as having a workable starting rotation.
Keller’s season-ending injury and Ashcraft’s late-season arm issue have shown how fast the depth chart thins out once two established starters are removed. That matters for an organization that has spent years pointing to pitching depth as one of the pillars of its rebuild. Two bullpen games every five days is a tough reality to hide.
Dotel, Curtis and Kelly all have a place here, and these innings could help the Pirates figure out whether any of them can handle real roles in 2027. But there’s a difference between giving young bulk relievers a look and actually having dependable major-league starting depth.
Pittsburgh can’t head into 2027 assuming Keller will be healthy, Ashcraft will shoulder another full workload, Paul Skenes and Bubba Chandler will take every turn, and no one else will get hurt. That’s not how pitching staffs survive. A team with real ambitions needs more than a couple of relievers who can help it survive a crisis.
Cherington is correct that bullpen games don’t automatically equal losses. Still, needing them twice every trip through the rotation says plenty about the roster as it stands.
What was supposed to be a September test of whether the Pirates were ready for October has instead exposed another gap they’ll need to close before they can honestly expect to get there.
In Other News...
Three Pirates Are Putting Themselves On Thin Ice This Winter
The Pirates are already looking ahead to a winter that figures to be shaped by hard roster decisions, and three players stand out as especially vulnerable as the club maps its path toward 2027. Carmen Mlodzinski, Gregory Soto and Billy Cook each bring a different issue to the table, but the common thread is the same: Pittsburgh needs more dependable production, and the front office has little reason to leave any spot untouched if it helps the team move forward next season.
Mlodzinski has drawn attention for attitude concerns and could become a trade candidate, while Sotos performance and contract situation make a return far from certain. Cook, meanwhile, has not done enough at the plate to lock down his place on the roster, which leaves all three in a precarious position as the Pirates weigh changes with an eye on improving the overall product. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Suddenly Have A Brandon Lowe Problem They Can't Ignore
Brandon Lowe has become one of the more important players on the Pirates roster in 2026, giving the club real value on both sides of the ball. His power has shown up at the plate, his defense has taken a step forward, and those two things together have made him much more than just another productive regular in the middle of the lineup.
The problem for Pittsburgh is that this kind of season tends to put a player in a different market by winter, and Lowe is headed toward the end of his contract with that reality looming over the rest of the year. For a team that needs impact bats and steady run prevention, the challenge is no longer just enjoying what he brings now. It is figuring out how to keep him from reaching free agency with his value peaking. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Get One Encouraging Injury Sign Amid A Brutal Loss
The injury news around the Pirates brought a mixed update in the middle of a rough stretch, with Esmerlyn Valdez now officially out for the rest of the season after suffering a left hamstring injury, according to general manager Ben Cherington. It is a tough hit for a team already trying to navigate a difficult run, and it removes another piece from the outfield mix as the year winds down.
Kirby Yates offers a much more encouraging sign, with the reliever expected back from a right shoulder impingement during the upcoming homestand. Pittsburgh also has reason for cautious optimism with Braxton Ashcraft, whose right arm discomfort does not appear to involve any major structural injury, leaving the club with at least a pair of positives as it tries to get healthier. [Read more 🡒]