The Pittsburgh Pirates have not listed a starter for Sunday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays, and they face some tough roster decisions. Or maybe they’re not so tough at all.
When Martín Pérez and Joey Bart were placed on the injured list on Tuesday, the Pirates reinstated Ke’Bryan Hayes from the IL and selected the contract of Triple-A catcher Grant Koch. The fact that Pérez’s turn in the rotation wouldn’t come up for a few days allowed the Pirates to add two position players and postpone a decision on which starter would get the call. Now it’s decision time.
Pirates Need a Starter and Face Tough Roster Decisions
It’s also possible that the Pirates could kick the can down the road and have a bullpen game on Sunday. However, that seems unlikely in light of Friday’s 14-inning loss to the Blue Jays, during which the Bucs used six relief pitchers, some for multiple innings. The Pirates managed only six hits before Toronto’s hottest hitter Davis Schneider ended it with a home run. Moreover, the Pirates didn’t get any hits after the sixth inning. They can’t afford to cut loose a position player who’s contributing to the offense. That narrows the choices down.
Who’s Coming?
The obvious choice for a starter has been Quinn Priester all along. His turn in Triple-A Indianapolis’s rotation has coincided with Pérez’s turn with Pittsburgh. Priester joined the Pirates on April 19 and made five starts. His record is 0-4, with a 4.33 ERA and 1.519 WHIP. He’s been better at Indianapolis, with a 3.28 ERA and 1.135 WHIP. Although his major league stat line won’t be mistaken for Tarik Skubal’s anytime soon, under normal circumstances the Pirates would have given him some more run. The only reason he was returned to Indy was that Paul Skenes was coming up and somebody had to go. Priester is listed as the starter for Indianapolis tonight, but the needs of the big club take precedence. Indy’s starter can be changed.
This Quinn Priester sinker to strike out Jackson Chourio was just FILTHY
93.0 MPH, 2147 RPM, 30 inVB, 15 inHB pic.twitter.com/Q55i2nRie8
— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) May 15, 2024
Or will it? For the Wednesday doubleheader in Detroit, it was Daulton Jefferies who was added to the roster as the extra player. Jefferies, a four-year major league veteran, was acquired from the San Francisco Giants on May 10. He was returned to Indianapolis on Friday, but that may have been just on paper. Perhaps he made the trip to Toronto with the Bucs. His stats in Indianapolis aren’t anything to get excited about. He’s pitched just 10 innings in his three starts and produced some ugly statistics. His ERA is 7.20 and his WHIP is 2.200. Pirates fans hope the days are over when their favorite team uses the MLB season as a tryout camp. However, the Bucs may want to use this opportunity to see what they have.
Who’s Going?
Adding a starter is only one of two roster decisions the Pirates face. To get back to a 13-man pitching staff, a position player must be cut. The candidates seem to be Jared Triolo and Rowdy Tellez, both of whom are struggling with the bat.
After Friday’s game, Triolo is hitting .203/.286/.271 with 3 home runs and 19 RBI. He began the season as the regular second baseman. He’s ceded that job to hot-hitting Nick Gonzales, who was called up on May 9. That pushed Triolo into a more familiar utility infielder role. However, Triolo has never played shortstop in the major leagues. The Bucs’ current backup shortstop, Alika Williams, is the best defensive shortstop on the team. Despite hitting only slightly better than Triolo at .210/.234/.290, it seems unlikely Williams is going anywhere.
Tellez continues to struggle. He’s now hitting .177/.239/.223 with 1 homer and 8 RBI, to go with a horrendous OPS+ of 35. On Friday, he managed just one single, albeit a hard-hit one, in his four at-bats, even though his good-luck charm, young Xander Brown, was in the stands. The Pirates continue to say they’re committed to sticking with Tellez. They believe he can get untracked. Tellez is the only left-handed hitter on the club with a track record as a power hitter. That’s the likely reason for the Pirates’ patience with him, but one wonders when that patience might run out.
The Last Word
Even on a struggling team like the Pirates, roster decisions are difficult, especially when they involve a starter. The guess here is that the Pirates go with Priester. They remain serious that they’re contenders. Thus, it’s not time to experiment with Jefferies. Meanwhile, the Pirates’ patience with Tellez will continue. Triolo will be sent to Triple-A. Triolo has options left and may benefit from his time there. It helped Gonzales and is helping Henry Davis so far.
Photo Credit: © Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
