3 Pirates rotation options who could replace injured Marco Gonzales

For the second time this season, Marco Gonzales has found himself on the 60-day injured list. Once again, it is because of a forearm problem. That recurrence will end the lefty's 2024 campaign, and now the Pirates have an open spot in the rotation.

As a quick corresponding move, the Pirates recalled Ryder Ryan. Although he is not a rotation option, Ryan will be able to eat a few innings out of the bullpen. Jared Jones will return to the rotation soon from his injury, but Pittsburgh's front office still wants to limit his innings, along with Paul Skenes.

Utilizing a six-man rotation appears to be a path the Pirates might take. Let's take a look at Pittsburgh's options to fill the hole in the rotation.

Who will the Pirates count on to replace Marco Gonzales in the starting rotation?

Domingo Germán

The Pirates recently selected the contract of Domingo Germán prior to the series with the Dodgers. He came out of the bullpen in Game 1, and delivered four solid innings. In that outing, German allowed two walks and a home run, which could have been an out, but the ball popped out of Bryan Reynolds' glove into the seats. He also struck out three batters.

With Indianapolis this season, Germán was primarily used as a starting pitcher and struggled early, but has done well recently. In 20.1 innings during July, Germán posted a 3.98 earned run average with a WHIP of 1.13 and an opposing batting average of .221.

Germán is already on the roster and is built up to be a starter, which gives him a solid chance to join the Pirates' rotation.

Jake Woodford

Similarly to German, the Pirates promoted Jake Woodford to fill in for Martín Pérez after he was traded to the Padres. Since joining the Pirates, Woodford has delivered solid outings as a starter, but has not had the same success out of the bullpen.

In two starts, Woodford has an excellent 0.82 earned run average in 11 innings. He also has a WHIP of 0.45 and has added five strikeouts. Out of the bullpen in Pittsburgh, his earned run average is at 9.82 with an opposing batting average of .267.

Woodford has earned a spot to stay in the rotation, but does not have a great history as a starter. What he has done to this point is very impressive, so time will tell if he will remain in the rotation.

Bubba Chandler

The Pirates' number one prospect was recently promoted to Indianapolis and is very close to joining the team in Pittsburgh. He dominated in his first Triple-A start by throwing seven scoreless innings and allowing just three baserunners.

That start first start in Indianapolis adds onto the strong season Chandler has put together with Altoona. In Double-A, Chandler posted a 3.70 earned run average with an opposing batting average of .192 and a WHIP of 1.01. He also struck out 94 batters in 80.1 innings pitched.

Chandler has the potential to be a top arm in a big league rotation and is putting up numbers this season. With a spot in the rotation opening up, Chandler could make his MLB debut very soon.

There are plenty of internal options to fill in for Gonzales. The Pirates could go with a veteran who is actively on the roster, or spice things up with their number one prospect.