PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Pirates shake up their rotation by calling up a pitcher from the minors Wednesday, but not Bubba Chandler. Carmen Mlodzinski is being sent down and Mike Burrows will be recalled and start on Thursday.
The expectation was if a spot with the starters opened it would be for the number two prospect in baseball. In AAA this year, Chandler is 2-1 with a 2.17 ERA in nine starts, 37.1 innings, 16 walks, 56 strikeouts, 1.13 WHIP and .197 batting average against. The right-hander has dipped a little in May after a 1.33 ERA, 0.64 WHIP and .106 batting average against in April, the ERA is 3.18 in May with a 1.71 WHIP and .288 batting average against with 10 of the 16 walks coming this month.
It’s likely as much about making sure the Pirates don’t lose a year of team control by not calling him up now. We don’t have an official reason as to why Burrows yet.
The 25-year-old Burrows has been good as well for AAA Indy, 2-1 with a 2.51 ERA with 11 walks and 41 strikeouts in 32.1 innings with a better WHIP (1.05) and batting average against (.195) than Chandler. Burrows is a former Pirates Minor League Pitcher of the Year before Tommy John surgery.
Burrows got one start in the majors in 2024 going 3.1 innings, two hits, two runs, one earned, three walks and two strikeouts.
Mlodzinski is making the transition back to starter this season after several years in the bullpen. The 26-year-old is 1-4 with a 5.67 ERA in nine starts. He’s pitched 39.2 innings, 12 walks, 28 strikeouts, 1.61 WHIP and .311 batting average against. He is coming off his shortest start of the year going only 3.1 innings allowing four runs with one walk and two strikeouts at the Phillies on Saturday.