Top Pirates prospect is ready to take the job Carmen Mlodzinski fumbled

The Pittsburgh Pirates have spent the better part of August trying to make Carmen Mlodzinski work as their fifth starter. But at this point, they have a better option staring them in the face.

Khristian Curtis has thrown eight innings in the majors, allowing zero runs. And after what he did against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday, there is little reason for Pittsburgh not to find out whether he can handle more.

Curtis, ranked as the Pirates' No. 15 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis Sunday morning. He entered after Mlodzinski allowed three runs in three innings of bulk relief and proceeded to retire the first seven batters he faced. That included Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts in order — three hitters who have combined to win six MVP awards.

Against a lineup featuring three MVPs and six multi-time All-Stars, Curtis looked completely comfortable. The 24-year-old right-hander threw three scoreless innings, allowing only one walk while throwing 25 of 41 pitches for strikes. His four-seam fastball averaged 96.5 mph, generated five whiffs and helped him extend a streak of 18 consecutive batters retired dating back to his major-league debut July 18 in Cleveland.

That debut wasn't exactly forgettable, either. Curtis threw five scoreless innings while allowing two or fewer hits, becoming just the third Pirates reliever in the Modern Era to accomplish that in his first appearance.

Carmen Mlodzinski's failure to earn Pirates rotation spot opens door for Khristian Curtis

Eight innings obviously aren't enough to declare Curtis a permanent member of the rotation, but they should be more than enough to earn him an opportunity — especially considering what Mlodzinski has done with his.

Since essentially taking over the fifth-starter role earlier this month following Mitch Keller's season-ending injury, Mlodzinski has struggled badly. He owns a 12.71 ERA over his past four appearances, and Sunday's outing against Los Angeles was merely the latest example.

The Pirates can't keep treating that rotation spot as though it belongs to Mlodzinski just because he threw a public tantrum the last time it was forcibly taken away from him. He has already had his chance. Now Curtis deserves his.

Even Don Kelly acknowledged afterward that Curtis has "definitely put himself in the conversation" for a start. There shouldn't be much conversation left to have before Pittsburgh's trip to St. Louis.

Curtis' minor-league numbers aren't overwhelming. He went 0-7 with a 4.73 ERA at Double-A Altoona and has a 5.76 ERA since moving to Indianapolis. But development isn't always linear, and the version the Pirates have seen in the majors has attacked hitters with a mid-to-upper-90s fastball while showing enough secondary stuff to navigate quality lineups.

The Pirates don't need to hand Curtis a rotation job for 2027 based on eight innings, but they do need to stop wasting starts on something that clearly isn't working. Mlodzinski was given the opportunity to stabilize the fifth spot and fumbled it. Curtis has earned the chance to pick it up.

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