Pirates reward excelling hometown arm with MLB shot as Colin Holderman hits IL

The Pittsburgh Pirates cannot find a break in their search for consistency in the bullpen, and have tried a handful of variations so far. Desperately needing to spark a change, the Pirates willnow promote Isaac Mattson from Triple-A. He will be replacing Colin Holderman in the Pittsburgh bullpen, who hits the 15-day injured list. Additionally, the Pirates will open the necessary spot on the 40-man roster by placing Nick Gonzales on the 60-day injured list, which aligns with his expected return timeline.

Mattson actually made it up to Pittsburgh in 2024 near the end of the season and struggled with control. He displayed some great pitches to work with, though, which pushed the Pirates to bring him back on a minor-league deal. Another fun fact? He was a star at the University of Pittsburgh and grew up in Erie. Mattson marks another hometown guy in the Pirates clubhouse.

Now with Triple-A, Mattson is excelling and has earned himself a promotion to Pittsburgh, where he will try to become a trustworthy force in the bullpen. With Indianapolis this season, Mattson posted a 2.50 ERA across 18.1 innings and generated a 2.69 FIP. He also added a solid 11 K/9 and a 0.94 WHIP. His biggest issue in Pittsburgh last year was too many walks, and he's solved that so far with a solid 6.9% walk rate.

Since he is replacing a receding Holderman in the big league bullpen, he won't be jumping into a high-leverage role, so this is a good opportunity for Mattson to get a groove in a low pressure environment.

Holderman has struggled all year, and this marks his second trip to the injured list. His ERA is up to 9.00 with a 2.07 WHIP and 6.83 FIP. He is not what he used to be, and that could lead to a DFA when he gets healthy.

Pirates promote Isaac Mattson to replace an injured Colin Holderman; move Nick Gonzales to 60-day IL.

Moving Gonzales to the 60-day IL does not mean too much in regard to his injury. He is returning from an ankle injury suffered on Opening Day. Since this move retroactive to all the way back in March, Gonzales will still finish out his rehab assignment on time just the same.

Swaping Mattson for Holderman may actually be a productive move towards upgrading this struggling bullpen. The Pirates need whatever they can get in terms of turning their season around, and maybe this is a start.