With 40 games left in the 2026 season, the Pirates are in a spot where every healthy arm matters. Pittsburgh’s rotation has been stretched thin, with Braxton Ashcraft and Bubba Chandler both in their first full big league seasons, Jared Jones on an innings restriction and pitch limit, Paul Skenes struggling in numerous ways and Mitch Keller out for the season with a right arm tear major muscle injury.
Carmen Mlodzinski has already made two starts, but the Pirates still haven’t locked him into the fifth starter job, and his recent work hasn’t exactly forced the issue. That leaves the club looking for innings wherever it can find them, and a few younger pitchers could get those chances down the stretch.
The clearest option is right-hander Wilber Dotel, who has already had three stints with the team this year. In 14 appearances, he’s 1-4 with a 5.06 ERA over 26.2 innings, along with 29 strikeouts, 11 walks, a .262 batting average allowed and a 1.42 WHIP.
That ERA looks worse than the overall performance because 10 of his 15 earned runs came in his last two outings before he landed on the 15-day injured list with a right lat muscle strain. Remove those games, and his season ERA would sit at 1.69.
Dotel has also flashed real upside, including four perfect innings in his first bulk role against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on April 27 and three straight appearances of three scoreless innings.
His fastball has been the headliner, sitting at an average of 98.1 mph and holding hitters to a sub-.200 BAA. The slider is trending in the right direction, too. There are still things to clean up - namely a 48.7% hard-hit rate and more consistency with his cutter and changeup - but he’s already shown he can handle this kind of assignment.
Another pitcher who deserves another look is right-hander Khristian Curtis. He made his MLB debut in the second game of a doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on July 18 and made it count, tossing five scoreless innings of relief. He allowed just two hits and two walks, struck out four and needed 68 pitches while keeping the Pirates ahead 3-0.
Curtis was sent back down the next day, since he was essentially the 27th man, and then hit the 7-day injured list on July 26 with side discomfort. He’s back now, though, and on Aug. 12 he logged two innings for Triple-A Indianapolis in a 4-3 win over Nashville, the Milwaukee Brewers affiliate.
His mix gives the Pirates some options. Curtis works with a cutter and four-seam fastball as his higher-velocity pitches, plus a changeup, slider and curveball. The organization clearly thinks highly of him, and that outing against Cleveland showed he can handle major league hitters.
If Pittsburgh wants a left-handed look, Hunter Barco is the name to watch. He broke camp on the Pirates’ Opening Day roster, but the results in the majors haven’t been there yet. Across three stints and six outings, he owns a 7.36 ERA in 14.2 innings.
One rough outing came against the Cardinals at PNC Park on April 28, when a travel delay left him arriving at the ballpark right as the game began, and he gave up five runs. He’s still trying to prove he belongs at this level. His most recent Pirates appearance came against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on July 30, when he allowed two runs in three innings.
Barco has looked much better back with Indianapolis. Over his last 10.1 innings, he’s given up just one run, and on Aug. 9 he threw six scoreless innings against Iowa, the Chicago Cubs affiliate. The Pirates do have a left-handed option in him, and he’ll be eager for another shot.
A fourth possibility is right-hander Antwone Kelly, who has appeared in three games for Pittsburgh this season. His first two outings were rough, with five earned runs allowed over 4.1 innings, but he settled in against the Reds on July 31. In that outing, he threw three scoreless innings, gave up two hits and two walks, struck out three and helped keep the Pirates in the game after a poor outing from Skenes.
Kelly has also been rolling at Triple-A Indianapolis, allowing just two runs over his last 24 innings in his last five games for a 0.75 ERA. He’s probably behind Dotel and Curtis in the pecking order, but he could still get a shot over the next few weeks.
In Other News...
Pirates Make A Paul Skenes Decision Fans Will Be Watching Closely
With the Pirates trying to manage Paul Skenes carefully over the stretch, manager Don Kelly announced Friday that the right-handers scheduled start Sunday will be pushed back to Wednesday. The move gives Skenes extra rest, and Kelly made clear it is not tied to any injury concern, a small but important distinction for a club that has every reason to be deliberate with one of baseballs most closely watched young arms.
Lake Bachar will take the ball Sunday against the Red Sox in Skenes place, giving Pittsburgh a different look for a game that had been lined up around its ace. Skenes said he understood the decision and supported it, which only adds to the sense that this is about the bigger picture and not any immediate alarm surrounding his availability. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Outfield Shuffle Puts Spotlight On A Bigger Problem
A day before facing the Red Sox, the Pirates had to reshuffle their outfield again, with Bryan Reynolds sliding into the designated hitter spot and Esmerlyn Valdez moving over to left field. Ronny Simon is set for right field, while Jake Mangum stays in center, a reminder of how much lineup movement Pittsburgh has been asking for as it tries to keep the pieces aligned.
The bigger concern is still the same one that has hovered over this group for weeks: the club is waiting on Oneil Cruz, who is working his way back on a rehab assignment after a hand injury. Until he returns, the Pirates are left to patch together the outfield in ways that can keep the offense afloat, but also underline how much they miss one of their most dynamic players. [Read more 🡒]
Rafael Flores Jr Is Giving Pirates Fans A Reason To Believe
Rafael Flores Jr. has been the kind of midseason spark the Pirates have been hoping to uncover, and the rookie catcher is starting to make himself impossible to ignore. Since arriving from the Yankees, he has flashed the power that made him an intriguing addition while also giving Pittsburgh steady work behind the plate, a combination that can change how a club views its depth chart in a hurry.
His latest burst came over the last two games against the Marlins and Red Sox, when he turned in a string of hard damage that kept the offense moving and helped fuel back-to-back wins. For a Pirates team always looking for young players who can stick, Flores Jr. is giving them a reason to think they may have found one, even if the bigger question is how far this stretch can carry him. [Read more 🡒]