Pirates Send Pitcher Back to Minors
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have sent one of their young pitcher back down to the minors after a short stint in the MLB.
The Pirates announced they optioned right-handed pitcher Mike Burrows to Triple-A Indianapolis after they ended right-handed pitcher Colin Holderman's rehab assignment and reinstated him to the MLB roster from the 15-day Injured List.
We have ended the rehab assignment of RHP Colin Holderman and reinstated him to the Major League roster from the 15-day injured list.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 26, 2025
Following last night's game RHP Mike Burrows was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Burrows hails from Waterford, Conn. and played for Waterford High School in the southwestern part of the state. He would star as a senior in 2018, with a 6-0 record, a 0.38 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 44 innings.
The Pirates took Burrows in the 11th round of the 2018 MLB Draft and Burrows would forgo his commitment to UConn, deciding on a $500,000 signing bonus.
Burrows started three of the four games he played in 2018 for the Gulf Coast League Pirates, with a 0.00 ERA in 14.0 innings pitched, nine strikeouts to four walks and an opposing batting average of .133.
He would pitch the entire 2019 season with the West Virginia Black Bears in the Low-A New York-Penn League. He started all 11 games he pitched in, with a 2-3 record, a 4.33 ERA over 43.2 innings pitched, 43 strikeouts to 20 walks an opposing batting average of .262.
Burrows didn't pitch in 2020, as the MLB shut down the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He would pitch for the High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers in 2021, starting 13 games with a 2-2 record, a 2.20 ERA in 49.0 innings pitched, 66 strikeouts to 20 walks and an opposing batting average of .143.
He would start 2022 with Double-A Altoona, where he went 2-2 in 12 starts, posted a 2.94 ERA over 52.0 innings pitched, 69 strikeouts to 19 walks and an opposing batting average of .199.
Burrows earned a promotion to Indianapolis on June 16 and he would pitch in 12 games, starting 10 of them the rest of the season. He finished with a 1-4 record, a 5.31 ERA over 42.1 innings pitched and a .271 opposing batting average.
He would make two starts for Indianapolis in 2023, before injuring his ulnar collateral ligament. He would undergo Tommy John surgery on April 26, ending his season.
Burrows returned in 2024, but waited until June, beginning with a rehab assignment with the Florida Complex League Pirates and then went up to the Single-A Bradenton Marauders.
He would make his season debut for Indianapolis on July 25 and started nine of 10 games. He finished with a 1-1 record, a 4.06 ERA over 37.2 innings pitched, 45 strikeouts to 15 walks and an opposing batting average of .253.
The Pirates would call up Burrows on Sept. 28, and he pitched against the New York Yankees, allowing two hits, three walks, a home run, two earned runs and posted two strikeouts over 3.1 innings in the 9-4 win.
Burrows started four games this season with Indianapolis, with a 0-1 record, a 4.30 ERA over 14.2 innings pitched, 13 strikeouts to seven walks and a .218 opposing batting average.
The Pirates called Burrows up on April 24, but he didn't come into pitch for the past two games and will head back to Triple-A.
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.