Braxton Ashcraft's replacement justifies Pirates' faith in first Triple-A start

After Braxton Ashcraft was promoted to the big leagues, the Pirates needed to decide who was going to take his spot in Indianapolis. On an irregular week where the Indians played on Memorial Day Monday, Po-Yu Chen was promoted to make the start in place of Ashcraft, and did very well.

Chen has long been an underrated pitcher in the organization, though he remains an unranked prospect. He has always thrown pretty well, despite not have standout stats or velocity like Bubba Chandler. Despite being a right-hander, he compares well to a guy like Bailey Falter: an arm that pounds the zone and induces soft contact with his slower pitch arsenal.

All eyes were on Chen this season after his solid year in Double-A last season. In 2024, he posted a 4.03 ERA across 134 innings with a 4.34 FIP and 6.45 K/9. Additionally, his WHIP sat at 1.29, stemming from an opposing average of .251 and a 9.4% walk rate.

If the pitching staff was not so deep, he probably would have started the year in Indianapolis, but there was simply no spot for him. Now that Ashcraft and Mike Burrows are in the big leagues and Hunter Barco is on the injured list, he got his opportunity and shined in his Triple-A debut.

Po-Yu Chen shines in Triple-A debut after replacing Pirates' new arm Braxton Ashcraft.

Chen tossed five scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out four. The offense managed two runs and Chen was able to pick up the win.

Even with a slow velocity, he still managed to generate nine whiffs, mainly coming on his sinker and changeup. He throws that pair of pitches the most, combining for a 75% rate last night. His sinker sat in the low 90s, topping at 93.4 mph. His changeup sat around 84 mph as well. He also adds a curveball and cutter in the mix.

All of this amounted to a pretty impressive Triple-A debut for the 23-year-old that pitched for Chinese Tapei in the World Baseball Classic Qualifiers last offseason. He got his sinker up to 96 in that outing, really showing his potential. If the Pirates can unlock that velocity again in Triple-A, he could become a bigger piece of the future. As it sits right now, he projects more as a long reliever with just two consistent pitches.

Getting him to Indianapolis was definitely the correct call to replace Ashcraft, and it paid off early in his first start.