Pirates Sending Rookie Relief Pitcher Down to Minors
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates continue shuffling around parts of their bullpen, as they search for the right collection of players moving forward.
The Pirates are optioning right-handed relief pitcher Brandan Bidois to Triple-A Indianapolis, as they are recalling right-handed pitcher Antwone Kelly ahead of their series opener vs. the Miami Marlins at PNC Park on June 12, per Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Bidois had spent the past month with the Pirates, becoming the first Australian player to feature for the franchise, and was an integral part of their bullpen.
The Pirates now hope that Bidois finds his best stuff back in the minors and eventually convinces them he deserves a major league roster spot in the future.
What the Pirates Bullpen Looks Like Now
The Pirates have five right-handed pitchers in Wilber Dotel, Kelly, Carmen Mlodzinski, Yohan Ramírez and Dennis Santana, plus three left-handed pitchers in Mason Montgomery, Evan Sisk and Gregory Soto.
Dotel and Mlodzinski have worked in bulk roles since moving to the bullpen and Kelly will likely do the same, providing length and rest for the starting rotation.
All three pitchers have been starters, with Dotel and Kelly doing so for the majority of their time in the minor leagues and Mlodzinski spending the first two months in the rotation before Jared Jones came back off the 60-day injured list.
Expect all three pitchers to follow a starting pitcher in a game, like Mlodzinski coming in for the last two Jones' starts.
Ramírez is another middle reliever option, while Santana and the three southpaws work in high-leverage situations.
Bidois' Tenure with the Pirates
The Pirates recalled Bidois on May 12 and optioned right-handed relief pitcher Cam Sanders to Triple-A.
He earned a spot on the 40-man roster, with the Pirates protecting him from the Rule 5 Draft, after a strong season in the minor leagues, where he had a streak of setting down 64 consecutive batters from July 29 to Sept. 14.
Bidois was on the taxi squad prior and eventually made his MLB debut on May 13, where he gave up a solo home run in an inning of work in the 10-4 loss to the Colorado Rockies at PNC Park.
He posted a 4.05 ERA over 12 outings and 13.1 innings pitched for the Pirates, with a 16 strikeouts to 11 walks, a .224 batting average allowed (BAA) and a 1.65 WHIP.
Bidois pitched twice vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC Park, the most recent series for the Pirates.
He gave up four runs over 0.2 innings , with two hits and three walks, as he and Dotel gave up 10 runs in the seventh inning of a 12-3 loss in the series opener on June 9, then allowed a run in the eighth inning of the 8-6 loss in the series finale on June 11.
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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.