Pirates Select Khristian Curtis

The Pirates have selected the contract of right-hander Khristian Curtis from Triple-A Indianapolis prior to today’s doubleheader with the Guardians. (Reporter Alex Stumpf noted earlier today that Curtis had a locker in the Pittsburgh clubhouse.). Oneil Cruz was moved to the 60-day injured list to open up space for Curtis on the 40-man roster, and the Bucs already had an opening on their 26-man roster. Right-hander Wilber Dotel was also activated from the 15-day IL and he’ll be the 27th man for the twin bill. The 24-year-old Curtis will be making his MLB debut whenever he appears in a game. The 12th-round pick from the 2023 draft was rated by Baseball America as the fifth-best prospect in Pittsburgh’s farm system, though MLB Pipeline puts Curtis 21st in its ranking. Curtis’ mid-90s fastball is probably the best of his intriguing array of pitches that also includes a cutter that misses a lot of bats, though control remains an issue with any of these pitches. Curtis has a 12.3% walk rate over 74 1/3 combined innings at the Double-A and Triple-A levels this season, as well as a 29.8% strikeout rate that speaks to his ability to generate whiffs. Curtis had a 4.73 ERA in 53 1/3 innings with Double-A Altoona and then a 5.57 ERA in 21 innings for Indianapolis. Sixteen of his 18 appearances this year have come as a starting pitcher, though perhaps telling, Curtis’ most recent Triple-A outing saw him work as a multi-inning reliever. This kind of long relief role might be in store for Curtis however long he’s on the big league roster. Today’s doubleheader adds to the Pirates’ need for pitching depth before their next off-day on July 23, and the club then has a stretch of 17 games in as many days before its next off-day on August 10. The August 3 trade deadline falls just about in the middle of this busy stretch of the schedule, and the Pirates are known to be looking to add to a bullpen that stands as the team’s biggest weakness. Curtis could provide an internal solution if he pitches well in this audition, or it is possible this call-up might be a bit of a showcase if the Bucs are dangling Curtis to any trade suitors. More to come… View Comments (0)