The Pittsburgh Pirates’ bullpen shakeup continued Wednesday in advance of the club’s contest at home vs. the St. Louis Cardinals.
Left-hander Hunter Barco, who scarcely had time to unpack his bags after being recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis Tuesday, was optioned back to the Indians and in a related transaction, righty Chris Devenski was recalled from Indianapolis.
To make room for Devenski on the 40-man roster, the Pirates designated righty Ryan Harbin for assignment.
Devenski, 35, a veteran of 216 MLB games, will be in line to make his 2026 Pirates debut.
Signing with the club in January on a minor-league deal, Devenski started the regular season in the minor leagues but was sidelined in early April due to injury.
He has been sharp since joining the Indians following a rehab assignment with Low-A Bradenton. Devenski has a 2.25 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 14 strikeouts and two walks in eight innings.
Over his career, he’s 27-22 with a 3.91 ERA. In 2017, as a member of the Houston Astros, Devenski was an All-Star and World Series champion.
Barco heads back to Indianapolis following a one-game stint in which he tossed a career-high 4 2/3 innings in relief during an eventual 11-7 Pirates loss Wednesday.
Over five big-league appearances this season, Barco is 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA.
His minor-league campaign to date has been more successful, as he owns a 2.45 ERA through 7 1/3 innings at Triple-A.
Harbin, a 17th-round draft pick by the Pirates in 2019, is on the 60-day injured list (strained teres minor) and has yet to pitch in 2026.