The Pirates six-man rotation looked like a good idea, at first glance.
Rookie pitchers Jared Jones and Paul Skenes would get an extra day, reducing their innings-pitched throughout the season and give them an extra day of rest.
But, the extra starting pitcher means one less arm in the bullpen and after a week, the Pirates need more relief arms.
Before Wednesday’s series finale against the Brewers, the Pirates recalled right-hand pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski from Triple-A Indianapolis.
To make room on the 26-man active roster the Pirates optioned RHP Quinn Priester to Triple-A.
Mlodzinski was dealing with should inflammation in his throwing arm to begin the year.
He pitched 15 innings for Indianapolis giving up 11 earned runs, going 0-1 with 13 strikeouts over 13 games. He also made one rehab appearance for Low-A Bradenton.
Priester gave up four earned runs on Tuesday night in a 4-3 loss to Milwaukee but pitched 6 innings and calmed down after giving up four in the second inning.
The Pirates have three days off over the next two weeks. That will help give their arms some rest and we’ll likely see Priester in Pittsburgh again sooner than later.