The Pittsburgh Pirates decided not to trade lefty Andrew Heaney at the July 31 trade deadline.
It was a questionable move to many, given the Pirates are well out of the race and Heaney is a free agent at season’s end.
For the past two weeks, Heaney maintained his spot in the starting rotation, until this weekend.
Manager Don Kelly told the media Saturday that Heaney will now exclusively pitch out of the bullpen.
In 23 starts, Heaney posted a 5-10 record with a 4.99 ERA and 1.32 WHIP over 119 innings. He allowed 24 home runs and only struck out 83, navigating lineups as a pitch-to-contact starter.
Heaney struggled mightily Monday against Milwaukee, allowing nine hits and six runs (five earned) over four innings in his last start. Heaney, 34, owns a 7.96 ERA in his last seven starts and a 6.45 ERA over the last 15.
This opens a spot in the rotation beginning Sunday. Could this open a rotation spot for Bubba Chandler?
Chandler is currently scheduled to pitch Saturday night for Triple-A Indianapolis against Buffalo. According to Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the spot isn’t being opened for Chandler, and he will remain in Triple-A.
Johan Oviedo pitched five innings of two-run baseball Friday for Indy and won’t be on schedule.
It could mean Thomas Harrington is returning to the bigs. Harrington is currently on the MiLB 7-day IL, but is eligible to be taken off prior to Sunday’s game.
The move could also indicate a rotation of Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, and Mike Burrows, with Braxton Ashcraft and Carmen Mlodzinski returning from the bullpen.
Burrows starts Saturday’s day game as the Pirates play the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field beginning at 2:20 p.m.