CHICAGO -- The Pirates are moving Andrew Heaney to the bullpen, opening up a spot in their rotation that is certainly cause for intrigue.
Manager Don Kelly told reporters at Wrigley Field that Heaney will be available out of the bullpen for the remainder of the season, starting Saturday.
“He’s totally open to it, helping the team in any way possible,” Kelly said before the Pirates lost to the Cubs, 3-1. “Just trying to put him in a good spot, too, to help us win a game.”
The change comes after an elongated slump for Heaney. He has allowed 39 runs (37 earned) and 13 home runs over his last 10 outings, nine of which were starts. That equates to an 8.19 ERA over his last 40 2/3 innings, raising his season ERA to 4.99.
"I haven't been pitching well and we got some young guys that ... deserve opportunities,” Heaney said. “I’ve been in the game long enough to know that you get opportunities that you earn, and I haven't earned it.”
Carmen Mlodzinski will start a bullpen game for the Pirates Sunday.
Heaney has made 19 relief appearances over his 12-year Major League career, so this role isn’t completely foreign to him. It could also be beneficial to have a bulk guy (Heaney’s suspected new role) in the bullpen since the Pirates are monitoring the innings of many of their young pitchers.
Kelly has stated that they would like to keep Paul Skenes at around 200 innings since it’s just his second full pro season. Mike Burrows -- who tossed five innings of one-run ball Saturday -- is in his first full season back from his 2023 Tommy John surgery, and his 105 innings between the Majors and Triple-A Indianapolis are already a career high. Braxton Ashcraft has thrown 90 innings between the Majors and Minors this year, also a career high.
Having an extra arm to help piggyback those starts could help the pitchers go deeper into the season with more abbreviated outings.
“I'll come in and do what I'm asked to do,” Heaney said. “I'm just going to be down there and part of the group. When the phone rings, if it's my name, then I'll go get warm and go get in the game."
Heaney’s move to the bullpen creates an opportunity in the rotation. While Mlodzinski is getting the nod Sunday, the Pirates have other options for the rest of the season.
Bubba Chandler -- the top pitching prospect in the game according to MLB Pipeline -- is scheduled to start for Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday and will obviously not get the call now. With that said, that spot in the rotation is going to come up plenty, and Chandler is a natural fit.
Chandler isn’t on the 40-man roster at this time, but the Pirates have two spots open. There are not enough days in the season remaining for Chandler to lose his rookie status, so assuming he doesn’t throw 50 Major League innings, he will still be considered a rookie for 2026, making him eligible for Rookie of the Year. That could yield a potential Draft pick for the Pirates if he wins through the Prospect Promotion Incentive.
Chandler isn’t the only pitcher worth monitoring down the stretch. Johan Oviedo is eligible to be recalled from the Minors starting Aug. 21, so he could be a candidate for Heaney’s spot in the rotation as well. Hunter Barco (the No. 87 prospect in baseball, per MLB Pipeline) has a 2.57 ERA in the Minors this year, but he hasn’t thrown more than four innings in a start in his last five outings, so he may not be as likely as a candidate. Pirates No. 9 prospect Thomas Harrington has made three Major League appearances, but is currently on Indianapolis’ injured list with a right groin strain.
Time will tell who gets that spot moving forward -- it very well could be multiple pitchers if they adopt a six-man rotation down the stretch -- but the Pirates wanted there to be some opportunity for their young starting pitchers before the end of this year. They have a path to do that now.