The Pittsburgh Pirates are finally making the move fans have been clamoring for all season. The team will reportedly promote pitching prospect Bubba Chandler to the majors Friday, according to MLB.com’s Alex Stumpf.
While Chandler, 22, has excelled as a starter in the minors, the team will reportedly use him as a bulk reliever. The team still believes in Chandler’s future as a starter, though, and he could see some starts down the stretch.
Chandler, considered one of the best pitching prospects in the minors, was thought to be a candidate for an early promotion to the majors this season, but the Pirates held off until August before making the move.
The youngster shot up prospect lists thanks to a dominant 2024, in which he posted a 3.08 ERA over two minor-league levels and racked up 148 strikeouts in just 119 2/3 innings. That performance resulted in Chandler being ranked as the No. 7 overall prospect in the minors ahead of the 2025 MLB season, per Baseball America.
Chandler experienced a bit of a dip in production at Triple-A this season. He posted a 4.05 ERA in 100 innings at the level. Despite the higher-than-expected ERA, Chandler still managed to strike out 121 batters.
In the long-term, Chandler is expected to partner with Paul Skenes at the top of the Pirates’ rotation. Fans envisioned the pair would establish themselves as one of the best young duos in the sport as early as 2025, but those plans were put on hold when the team opted to keep Chandler in the minors for most of the season.
For now, Chandler will look to find his footing in the majors. Using him out of the bullpen — at least initially — could be a good way for the Pirates to give Chandler some confidence in the majors.
If he can pass those early tests, it shouldn’t be long before Chandler is slotted into the team’s rotation. At 53-74, the Pirates could certainly use the help, and Chandler has shown more than enough ability to excel as a starter.
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