Pirates Bring Up Rookie Pitcher for Guardians Doubleheader
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates need some extra pitching help and they've added it for their upcoming game.
The Pirates made right-handed pitcher Khristian Curtis the 27th man for their doubleheader vs. the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on July 18, making him the extra man for this game.
Doubleheaders allow teams to add an extra player and Curtis will fulfill this role, being able to pitch the first game per Pirates manager Don Kelly. He will then go back to Triple-A Indianapolis after this, as fellow right-handed pitcher Wilber Dotel comes off the injured list and will have a spot on the team.
The Pirates transferred center fielder Oneil Cruz to the 60-day injured list, which allows the Pirates to select Curtis' contract and place him on the 40-man roster.
It is a big moment for Curtis, who could make his MLB debut for the Pirates and help them earn a big win or two against a strong Cleveland team.
Khristian Curtis Finally Makes it to MLB
The Pirates took Curtis back in the 12th round out of Arizona State in the 2023 MLB Draft and three years later, he's in the major leagues.
Curtis had a long journey, dealing with multiple surgeries in college that threatened his playing career and eventually had a decent season with Arizona State to get him that draft selection.
He spent all of 2024 with Single-A Bradenton and most of 2025 with High-A Greensboro, earned a major league spring training invite, while pitching for Double-A Altoona the first two months of 2026 before joining Indianapolis on June 9.
Curtis hasn't had the best stats this season, with a 2-8 record in 16 starts and 18 appearances, with a 4.96 ERA over 74.1 innings pitched, 97 strikeouts to 40 walks, a .227 batting average allowed and a 1.39 WHIP.
It's somewhat to be expected for Curtis, who is pitching at a much more advanced level this season, and will face more adversity than he did in the lower minor leagues.
What Pirates Fans Should Expect From Curtis
Curtis has two high velocity offerings with his four-seam fastball and a cutter, with a changeup, slider and curveball as his offspeed pitches.
He generates good swing-and-miss rates with his slider and changeup and his curveball can cause hitters problems too.
Curtis' fastball and cutter also have good velocity, with his fastball reaching close to 100 mph and sitting in the mid-upper 90s and his cutter causing high whiff rates in the 90s.
There have been some shaky starts from Curtis, but also some strong ones that show he can excel at higher levels.
His Triple-A debut was sensational, posting 10 strikeouts over 5.2 scoreless innings, allowing a hit and two walks in a 6-1 home win over Columbus on June 12.
Curtis also performed well in his last start for Indianapolis on July 11, with 4.1 scoreless innings against Toledo and six strikeouts.
If he can limit home runs and walks, which have hurt him so far this season, and find his strikeout pitch early in his outings, Curtis can start having more consistent success in 2026.
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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.