Pirates Rookie Pitcher Suffers Injury Setback
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have dealt with injuries to their position group, but now one of their young pitchers could miss some time as well.
Triple-A Indianapolis placed Pirates right-handed rookie pitcher Khristian Curtis on the 7-day injured list on July 25. Aiden Stepansky of MLB.com reported that the injury is side discomfort.
Curtis made his last appearance for Indianapolis in their 6-3 defeat to Lehigh Valley (Philadelphia Phillies) at home on July 24, throwing 3.2 innings and giving up three runs, before departing after the injury in the eighth inning.
The Pirates will hope that this injury isn't too long and that Curtis can come back healthy and serve as an arm they rely on going forward in 2026.
Khristian Curtis Dazzles in MLB Debut
Curtis joined the Pirates for the very first time back on July 18 for their doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field.
He came in a bulk relief role in the second game of the doubleheader and had an incredible outing, throwing five scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and issuing just two walks, while posting four strikeouts over 68 pitches.
Curtis only really had some trouble in the third inning, when he gave up back-to-back singles, but got a ground out and a fly out to escape unscathed.
He also got two double plays and gave the Pirates a chance to win up 3-0 over six innings, before the bullpen blew it and they lost 5-3, coming on a two-run walk-off home run to Guardians second baseman Travis Bazzana.
The Pirates sent Curtis back to Indianapolis after that game, as he was the 27th man, but that showing proved he should earn another shot back in the major leagues.
More Background on Curtis
Curtis is one of the top prospects in the Pirates farm system, with Baseball America ranking him sixth and MLB Pipeline putting him at 21st in their recent re-rankings.
He throws five different pitches in his arsenal, including his cutter and four-seam fastball and his offspeed pitches in his changeup, curveball and slider.
His four-seam fastball averages around 95-96 mph and can touch 97 mph, while his cutter is in the lower 90s. His offspeed stuff has good break and movement, with his slider and changeup in the mid-80s and and his curveball is in the mid-high 70s.
The Pirates took Curtis in the 12th round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Arizona State and he spent the 2024 season with Single-A Bradenton and the 2025 season with High-A Greensboro.
Curtis pitched for Double-A Altoona to start 2026 before earning his promotion to Indianapolis on June 9.
He's posted a 2-8 record over 16 starts and 19 outings in the minor leagues this season with a 5.08 ERA over 78.0 innings pitched, 98 strikeouts to 42 walks, a .232 BAA and a 1.40 WHIP.
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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.