Pirates Send Bullpen Arm Down to Minors
In this story:
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates moved one of the bullpen arms back to the minor leagues, after recently bringing him up.
The Pirates announced that they optioned left-handed relief pitcher Evan Sisk to Triple-A Indianapolis, as they recalled right-handed starting pitcher Johan Oviedo, who started vs. the Toronto Blue Jays at PNC Park on Aug. 20.
RHP Johan Oviedo has been recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis, and LHP Evan Sisk has been optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) August 20, 2025
Sisk joined the Pirates from the Kansas City Royals, along with first baseman prospect Callan Moss, in a trade for left-handed starting pitcher Bailey Falter on July 31 ahead of the deadline.
He made five appearances at Indianapolis, allowing six earned runs over 5.1 innings pitched for a 10.13 ERA, five walks and five strikeouts, before the Pirates recalled him on Aug. 15, sending down right-handed relief pitcher Cam Sanders.
Sisk made four appearances for the Pirates, finishing with a 1-1 record, an 8.10 ERA over 3.1 innings pitched, four strikeouts to one walk and one hit batter, a .250 opposing batting average and a 1.20 WHIP.
He threw a scoreless sixth inning vs. the Chicago Cubs in the series opener at Wrigley Field on Aug. 15, but hit center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong to leadoff the bottom of the seventh inning. Pirates right-handed pitcher Isaac Mattson would eventually allow Crow-Armstrong to score and Sisk took the earned run.
Sisk pitched in the following game on Aug. 16 with a tie game 1-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning and gave up two hits for two earned runs in the 3-1 defeat, for his first loss at the MLB level.
He made two recent appearances vs. the Blue Jays in this series, throwing a scoreless inning in each outing. He also earned his first MLB win on Aug. 18 in the 5-2 victory for the Pirates, posting two strikeouts in the top of the seventh inning.
“It’s awesome, you know, especially as crazy as the last two weeks have been just with the trade and everything," Sisk said after the win. "Picking up and moving cities and then going to Indy, getting the call to come up here and help the team win, it’s a good feeling.”
He had two stints with the Royals in 2025, his first time making the MLB level, marking his rookie season.
Sisk had his first two MLB stints earlier this season, joining the Royals on April 13 and then going back to Triple-A Omaha on April 25. He rejoined the Royals on May 17 and then again went down to Omaha on May 28.
He made five appearances with Kansas City, giving up five hits, five walks and one earned run over 5.1 innings pitched for a 1.69 ERA.
The Pirates currently have eight right-handed pitchers in their bullpen, including Braxton Ashcraft, Colin Holderman, Mattson, Carmen Mlodzinski, Kyle Nicolas, Yohan Ramírez, Dennis Santana and Chase Shugart. They now only have one left-handed pitcher in Andrew Heaney, who they recently moved to the bullpen from the starting rotation to the bullpen.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.