Projecting the Upcoming Roster Moves for the Pittsburgh Pirates

There are a slew of roster moves on the horizon for the Pittsburgh Pirates

Brace yourself…roster moves are coming. Okay, so, maybe it’s not that dramatic but, nonetheless, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ roster is about to undergo some changes.

In the next week the Bucs are going to be promoting two players from the minor leagues, while two others are activated off of the disabled list. So, let’s take a stab at what the upcoming roster moves for the first place Pittsburgh Pirates may look like, eh?

The first one is an easy one. Today, the Bucs will promote top hitting prospect Austin Meadows to the Major Leagues. You can read more about that situation here. With Starling Marte nursing an oblique issue it is a safe assumption that he will be placed on the disabled list to make room on the 25-man roster for Meadows.

On Saturday, Nick Kingham will return from the minor leagues to start for the Pirates. There is also a good chance that Josh Harrison will return from the disabled list on Saturday. And if not Saturday, shortly there after.

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My guess is that these two returning will lead to a position player and a reliever going.

Look for either Adam Frazier or Max Moroff, my money is on Moroff, be optioned to Triple-A while something is also done with George Kontos. It might be a phantom disabled list trip for Kontos or he might get designated for assignment. Regardless, look for Kontos to be a roster victim in the coming days.

Finally, that leaves pitcher Joe Musgrove. The righty will make his final rehab start with Triple-A Indianapolis tonight lining him up to join the Pirate rotation in Cincinnati next week.

In my opinion, the odd man out when Musgrove is healthy should be Chad Kuhl. Kuhl has been wildly inconsistent this season owning a 4.53 ERA, 4.82 FIP, and an abysmal home run rate of 1.63 HR/9.

That said, do not be surprised if Kingham returns to Triple-A instead of Kuhl when Musgrove is healthy. However, Clint Hurdle‘s comments after Kuhl’s start last night did make it sound as if the Pirate skipper’s confidence is waning in his right-handed starter.

Even if Kingham is the off man out, he will be back. Odds are that will be sooner rather than later, too.