Pirates to call up Chandler, game's top pitching prospect (source)

4:30 PM UTC

PITTSBURGH -- The wait for Bubba is over.

Per source, the Pirates will select the contract of on Friday ahead of their contest against the Rockies at PNC Park. The right-hander is ranked as the No. 7 prospect in the game, according to MLB Pipeline, and is the top pitching prospect in baseball.

The team has not confirmed the move.

Chandler will initially be used as a bulk reliever, but he'll have an opportunity to earn starts in the Majors in 2025. The club views him as a starting pitcher long term, but this is consistent with the role and expectations of other pitchers who have been promoted this season, like Braxton Ashcraft.

Chandler -- who will turn 23 on Sept. 14 -- got off to a fast start this season, but he has struggled with command the last few months, resulting in a 5-6 record with a 4.05 ERA over 100 innings with Triple-A Indianapolis.

He has pitched to a 5.96 ERA since the start of June, walking 13.1% of his batters faced with a 1.77 WHIP. Chandler has still been able to rack up strikeouts in that time (21.2%), but those struggles almost certainly pushed back his promotion date. The original plan was to slowly build him up this season to help manage his workload, like they did in 2024 with Paul Skenes. The goal was to have Chandler fully stretched out in May, but a June swoon happened shortly after that seemingly altered the callup calculus.

Despite those recent struggles, a promotion always seemed likely, especially after the Pirates traded Bailey Falter this Trade Deadline, with general manager Ben Cherington citing a desire to give opportunities to pitchers who could be part of their 2026 rotation plans.

Chandler obviously fits this bill. Anchored by a high-90s fastball that MLB Pipeline grades as a 70 (on the 20-80 scouting scale), the 2021 third-round Draft pick has one of the best pitch mixes in the Minors, flipping breaking sliders, curveballs and a changeup, all of which grade between a 50-60. When he is on his game, that stuff is as lethal as any pitcher in the game, moving either east to west or north to south.

Chandler is positioned to be at the forefront of the Pirates’ young pitching core alongside Skenes and Jared Jones. Assuming Chandler does not pitch 50 innings down the stretch, he will retain his rookie status for 2026.

A corresponding roster move will be made on Friday.