Pirates bring back pitcher who never should've left after Isaac Mattson option

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ bullpen has been in dire need of help, and finally — mercifully — they have decided to stop passively hoping for change.

The club is recalling Wilber Dotel from Triple-A Indianapolis, with Isaac Mattson optioned to clear a spot on the 26-man roster. It is not the flashiest transaction, but it is the kind of practical bullpen move that makes immediate sense for a Pirates team that has lost four straight games.

Dotel has already shown he can help at the major league level. In three appearances with the Pirates earlier this season, he posted a 1.35 ERA over 6 2/3 innings and gave Pittsburgh exactly what this bullpen has lacked too often: length, velocity and a chance to cover the uncomfortable middle innings without turning every game into a nightly ulcer-inducing event.

Pirates call up Wilber Dotel to help stop the bleeding in the bullpen

The Pirates’ bullpen has been uneven, and Mattson has become part of that problem. His 4.12 ERA through 21 appearances is not disastrous on its own, but the trend has been concerning. Since April 30, he has allowed seven earned runs, and Pittsburgh clearly decided this was the right time to give him a reset in Indianapolis.

That is not to say Mattson can't be a useful piece for Pittsburgh in the future. The Pirates simply needed a different look in the bullpen, and Mattson needed space to get right.

Dotel gives them that different look. His fastball sits in the upper 90s, and his brief major league sample suggested he was not overwhelmed by the moment. For a bullpen that has been plagued by inconsistency all season, having another arm capable of eating multiple innings has become more of a necessity than a luxury.

The frustrating part, of course, is that Dotel arguably should have been here already. Pittsburgh has spent too much of the season searching for stability in relief while cycling through arms that have not consistently earned high-leverage trust. Dotel may not be a finished product, but he has shown enough to deserve another opportunity — especially with the Pirates trying to stop a recent slide and avoid letting winnable games slip away late.

Dotel is expected to join the team later Wednesday in St. Louis. If he pitches the way he did during his first stint, the Pirates’ latest bullpen shuffle may look less like a temporary patch and more like a correction they should have made a lot sooner.

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