Pirates Pitcher Starts Rehab Assignment
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates will have one of their pitchers making a comeback from a recent injury.
The Pirates announced that right-handed pitcher Colin Holderman will start his rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on April 19, according to Alex Stumpf of MLB.com.
Colin Holderman is starting a rehab assignment with Indy tonight
— Alex Stumpf (@AlexJStumpf) April 19, 2025
Holderman has pitched poorly in 2025, with a 9.64 ERA over 4.2 innings of work in five appearances, allowing six hits, four walks and five earned runs.
He allowed two runs in the eighth inning after the Pirates led 4-2 on Opening Day on March 27 and a solo home run on March 30, tying things up at 2-2 in the seventh inning, both games the Pirates lost.
Holderman came in vs. the Tampa Bay Rays up 3-2 in bottom of the eighth inning. He walked Rays shortstop Taylor Walls, got a ground out moving Walls to second base and then allowed a single to center fielder Jonny DeLuca, scoring Walls and making it 3-2.
He bounced back with a strikeout, but Pirates manager Derek Shelton took him out for left-handed pitcher Ryan Borucki, who got the final out, helping his team ensure a 4-2 victory.
Holderman made his last appearance out of the bullpen vs. the New York Yankees on April 5 at PNC Park. He came into a difficult situation, with no outs and two runners on after starting pitcher Bailey Falter allowed a three-run home run earlier on.
He would hit Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge, loading the bases. He struck out second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., but then allowed a bases-clearing double to shortstop Anthony Volpe, giving the road team an 8-4 lead.
Holderman only had one appearance this season where he didn't give up a run, as he pitched a scoreless ninth inning against the Marlins on March 29.
The Pirates placed Holderman on the 15-day Injured List, recalling right-handed pitcher Chase Shugart from Indianapolis.
He most recently went on the 15-day Injured List back on Aug. 8, 2024, dealing with a right wrist sprain.
Holderman also struggled before he went on the Injured List last season. He allowed nine earned runs over 4.2 innings in the previous five games he pitched in, blowing leads in four of those games and almost doing so in the other one.
The Pirates, along with Shugart, now have a bullpen consisting of right-handed pitchers Dennis Santana, Kyle Nicolas and David Bednar, plus left-handed pitchers in Joey Wentz, Caleb Ferguson and Borucki.
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.