Pittsburgh Pirates Officially Recall Nick Kingham

Ahead of the start of the team’s three-game series at Dodger Stadium beginning on Monday night the Pittsburgh Pirates have officially made a roster move that has been a few days in the making

It was announced over the weekend that Nick Kingham would start for the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight. Now, he has officially been recalled by the club.

To make room for Kingham on the 25-man roster, INF/OF Jose Osuna has been optioned to Triple-A. In 47 MLB plate appearances this season Osuna owns a .196/.213/.370/.583 slash line, .248 wOBA, and a wRC+ of 53. Additionally, utility man Sean Rodriguez will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A tonight and left-handed reliever Enny Romero has been designated for assignment.

Kingham’s return to the starting rotation comes due to Chad Kuhl being on the disabled list. Kuhl was placed on the disabled list last Friday due to forearm discomfort that cut his most recent start short.

Monday night’s series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers will be Kingham’s seventh start of the season for the Pirates. In his first six starts Kingham has excelled and has been arguably the team’s best starting pitcher this season.

Kingham’s 3.82 ERA and 3.35 FIP both rank second on the team’s starting staff behind Joe Musgrove. His 24.3% strikeout rate leads the staff, while his 4.9% walk rate is the second lowest on the staff behind Ivan Nova.

Regardless of when Kuhl gets healthy Kingham needs to remain in the Pirate rotation for the rest of the season. When Kuhl is ready to return if the Pirates wish to put him back in the starting rotation it should be at the expense of Trevor Williams, not Kingham.

Next: Bucs Busy As International Free Agency Begins

On top of being a big part of the team’s future, Kingham is also one of their five best starting pitchers in the present. It is time for the Pirates to let Kingham grab a permanent spot in the starting rotation and run with it.