Pirates can't afford to respond to Chase Shugart injury with another bullpen mistake

Chase Shugart has found himself onto the injured list with left knee inflammation. Surprisingly enough, the corresponding move was the elevation ofJack Suwinski, which didn't even fill the hole in the bullpen. The team sits with just seven relievers on the active roster, while a few of them can't be used over the next few days due to high pitch counts. Pittsburgh put themselves in a risky situation with their pitching staff, and at some point they will bring another arm up ... but it must not be Colin Holderman.

Holderman just completed a rehab assignment following a thumb injury and was quickly optioned to Triple-A. Typically after being optioned, a pitcher has to remain in the minor league for 15 days. At the tail end of that assignment, the Pirates should look elsewhere after choosing Suwinski instead of rushing the righty.

He allowed a run in all four rehab outings and each lasted an inning or less. Holderman has just not found it yet after losing it last August. His ERA of 9.00 in the majors this season, and 6.32 ERA in the second half of last year, both show that he should not be in the Pirates bullpen for the time being.

For now, he has a lot more to prove in Triple-A before he can join the big league club. He's gotta be able to string together consistent outings for a few weeks at least to get a shot at a promotion. Pittsburgh just cannot afford for him to struggle even more right now.

Pirates cannot let Colin Holderman be Chase Shugart's replacement in the bullpen.

Instead, a simple replacement is for Dauri Moreta to make his highly anticipated return from surgery. He has done well in Triple-A, so it doesn't exactly make a whole lot of sense as to why he isn't here yet. He has generated a 12.52 K/9 with a 3.52 ERA across 23 innings. His walk rate is high, but he has been used in a handful of multi-inning outings to build him up. When he was solid in 2023, he never went over an inning.

Whatever the Pirates do, just do not let it be Holderman. Recalling him would be a massive mistake, and this team really needs reliable pitching to go with their poor offense. Holderman is not that guy right now.