Minor League Baseball

Pittsburgh Pirates Pitching Prospect Thomas Harrington Called Up For MLB Debut

Thomas Harrington, who is ranked as the No. 78 prospect in baseball, is set to make his MLB debut in the Pittsburgh Pirates' showdown with the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.
Sam Connon|
Bradenton, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Thomas Harrington (78) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during spring training at LECOM Park.
Bradenton, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Thomas Harrington (78) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during spring training at LECOM Park. | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

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Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates are promoting right-handed pitcher Thomas Harrington from Triple-A Indianapolis, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Noah Hiles reported Tuesday morning.

Harrington will make his MLB debut against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night, giving the Pirates a six-man rotation to open the regular season. Ace Paul Skenes won't pitch until Wednesday, then Pittsburgh has an off-day Thursday.

The 23-year-old Harrington is ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the Pirates' farm system and the No. 78 prospect in baseball.

In two starts and two relief appearances during spring training, Harrington went 0-1 with a 5.59 ERA, 1.138 WHIP and 6.5 strikeouts per nine innings. He has yet to pitch in a minor league game this season.

The Pirates selected Harrington in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft following two seasons at Campbell University. Between the 2023 and 2024 minor league seasons, Harrington went 14-9 with a 3.09 ERA, 1.108 WHIP and 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

Harrington isn't the top-ranked pitcher in the Pirates' farm system, as Bubba Chandler claims that distinction. It may only be a matter of time before Chandler makes his own big league debut, giving Pittsburgh yet another young arm to work with around Paul Skenes and Jared Jones, the latter of whom is out until June with an elbow injury.

First pitch between the Pirates and Rays is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Harrington will be going head-to-head with Shane Baz, who is set to take the bump for Tampa Bay.

Related MiLB Stories

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  • WOOSOX STILL STAR-STUDDED: Even with Kristian Campbell getting called up to the Red Sox's active roster, top prospects Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer remain with Triple-A Worcester. CLICK HERE
  • O'S GET TOP PROSPECT BACK: Juan Nuñez is once again a top-30 prospect in the Orioles' farm system after failing to make the Padres' roster as a Rule 5 Draft pick. CLICK HERE

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and other "On SI'' baseball sites. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for “UCLA on SI’’ and won awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for “New England Patriots on SI’’ and was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Follow Sam on Twitter @SamConnon.

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