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Just days after Ben Cherington preached patience when it comes to top pitching prospect Bubba Chandler's potential Major League debut, the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager may soon be eating his words.
When left-handed pitcher Bailey Falter was pulled from his start early against the Los Angeles Angels Tuesday with lower back tightness, the Pirates did not provide any additional information other than to say that Falter was being treated by team medical staff. While the severity of Falter's injury is not yet known, it's entirely possible that it could be serious enough to necessitate a Minor League call-up — and Chandler would be the most obvious candidate.
New Pirates pitching injury could open the door for Bubba Chandler promotion
The Pirates are already stretching reliever Carmen Mlodzinski into a starter with Jared Jones beginning the season on the injured list, so it stands to reason that they wouldn't want to dip into their Major League bullpen a second time if they need a replacement for Falter.
That brings us to Chandler, who has gotten off to a scorching hot start with Triple-A Indianapolis this season. Through his first four starts, Chandler has posted a 1.76 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, and 23 strikeouts over 15 innings, regularly hitting triple digits on the radar gun with his fastball.
Chandler's workload is being managed carefully early in the season, with pitch counts designed to gradually build toward a starter’s workload. If that sounds familiar, it's because it's a strikingly similar strategy to the one the Pirates deployed with 2024 National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes – which worked out exceptionally well.
We are quickly approaching May 5, which will mark the one-year anniversary of Skenes' Major League debut with Pittsburgh. It's entirely possible that Chandler could soon be joining him.
The Pirates' original plan with Chandler wouldn't see him reaching the big leagues until later in the season. However, if the injury to Falter turns out to be serious, they may not have a choice but to fast track their top pitching prospect to the big leagues.
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