The Pirates are giving Khristian Curtis another crack at the majors, and this one comes at a time when Pittsburgh needs fresh arms.
Curtis was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis ahead of the series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 23, with fellow rookie right-hander Antwone Kelly optioned back to Indianapolis to clear a spot on the 26-man roster.
The timing makes sense for Pittsburgh. The bullpen has been taxed heavily over the last couple of days, with the group covering 9.2 innings and eight of the nine available pitchers already getting work.
Right-hander Yohan Ramírez has pitched in the past two games and is unavailable, while Camilo Doval also threw in the previous game. Luke Weaver, Mason Montgomery and Gregory Soto all worked in the series opener on Aug. 21, and Kelly’s one-inning outing in the Pirates’ 4-3 loss on Aug. 23 meant he wasn’t going to be part of the picture for this game anyway.
That leaves Curtis in line for a chance to help. Pittsburgh already has Lake Bachar starting and Carmen Mlodzinski handling a bulk role, so Curtis gives the club another option to soak up innings and potentially keep the game manageable as the Pirates try to avoid a sweep.
Curtis was also already on turn at Indianapolis, where he was scheduled to start today, so he arrives ready to pitch.
This is Curtis’ second major league opportunity after the Pirates first brought him up for his debut in the second game of a doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians on July 18 at Progressive Field. He entered in the second inning after Montgomery worked a scoreless first, then delivered five shutout frames of his own to keep Pittsburgh ahead 3-0.
It was the kind of debut that gets attention fast. Curtis allowed two hits and two walks, struck out four, and gave the Pirates a real chance to win before the bullpen later let it slip in a 5-3 loss.
Pittsburgh sent him back to Indianapolis after that outing, but because the club selected his contract and added him to the 40-man roster, he stayed in the mix for another call if needed.
Curtis opened the year with 12 starts for Double-A Altoona before moving up to Triple-A on June 9. Since then, he has appeared in nine games and made five starts. He also spent time on the 7-day injured list with side discomfort on July 25, returned on Aug. 12, and has pitched twice since then, most recently on Aug. 18, which gave him a few days of rest before this latest promotion.
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