Reports - Pirates call up top pitching prospect Bubba Chandler - ESPN

PITTSBURGH — Baseball's top pitching prospect is getting called up to the majors.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have decided to promote 22-year-old right-hander Bubba Chandler ahead of their game Friday against the Colorado Rockies, according to multiple reports.

Chandler will join a staff that already includes 2024 NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes.

Chandler reportedly will initially work in a «bulk» bullpen role. Chandler got off to a hot start in Triple-A this season but has stumbled lately and is currently 5-6 with a 4.05 ERA in 100 innings pitched this year for Indianapolis.

The Pirates have been careful with Chandler's workload since he moved to pitching full time ahead of the 2023 season after being projected as a two-way player when he was drafted in 2021. Chandler saw time at shortstop and as a designated hitter early in his minor league career but struggled at the plate, hitting just .184 with Class-A Greensboro in 2022.

Asked in February if he missed hitting, Chandler joked he learned in the minors that for a position player, he's a pretty good pitcher.

And potentially a very good one. Yet Pittsburgh has been cautious in bringing Chandler along. He pitched 106 innings in 2023 and 119 innings last season.

Chandler got off to a scorching start at Triple-A this spring, posting a 1.33 ERA in April and a 2.54 ERA in May. Pirates general manager Ben Cherington, however, had been hesitant to promote Chandler, citing his relative inexperience as opposed to Skenes, who had a standout career at LSU before the Pirates called him up in May 2024.

Chandler's effectiveness has waned of late. He went 0-2 with a 7.50 ERA in three starts this month for Indianapolis.

Yet with Pittsburgh heading for a last-place finish in the NL