Jared Jones is going back in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ starting rotation. He’ll be on the mound to open Friday’s game against Minnesota. That news was announced Thursday.
That means Carmen Mlodzinski is getting moved to the bullpen.
And he’s not happy about it.
Nor should he be. Mlodzinski made four starts in May. The Pirates won three of them.
In the fourth of those starts, he allowed just two earned runs in six innings against San Francisco but absorbed a loss. He also tossed five innings for a win after Mason Montgomery and Evan Sisk opened a game against Colorado.
In all, Mlodzinski posted 26⅔ innings, a 3.38 ERA, three wins, a loss and a no decision in a 2-1 victory over Chicago during the month of May.
So, going back to the bullpen is not sitting well with the 27-year-old right-hander after he has been bounced around between multiple roles throughout his career.
“I’m proud of the work I’ve been able to do. Kinda leave it at that,” Mlodzinski said after Thursday’s 7-2 loss to the Cubs.
“I can honestly say I’m just still communicating with the organization and the people in my corner, whether that’s my family or my agency, about what’s next. I really don’t have any comments after that.”
Mlodzinski looked like he was gritting his teeth to either prevent himself from breaking into tears or breaking a door off its hinges.
#Pirates Carmen Mlodzinski has taken going to the bullpen hard pic.twitter.com/OhmG5ACRxX
— 93.7 The Fan (@937theFan) May 29, 2026
With those comments about his “agency,” I’m not sure if that’s letting us know he’s asking for a trade or … what? But it’s certainly a far cry from, “I’m just ready to do whatever needs to be done to help the team.”
Mlodzinski made himself available to the media. It was a bulk-interview setting on a night he didn’t even pitch. I think a lot of reporters in the room weren’t even expecting to get a chance to speak with him until pregame on Friday. Yet, after Paul Skenes and Tyler Callihan (following his Pirates debut) spoke, reporters were called over to Mlodzinski’s locker by a media relations representative.
Mlodzinski waited until he was the last guy to speak Thursday night. He clearly wanted to get the point off his chest that he wasn’t happy.
No. He’s not handling this great.
Do you blame him? How else should he handle it?
Why lean on results, versatility and a stiff upper lip, when defensiveness worked for Jones, and yet-to-be-honed potential is what’s working for Bubba Chandler.
Because the most obvious thing to do is to take Chandler (1-6, 4.85 ERA) out of the rotation and put him in the bullpen or demote him. But you can’t do that because he’s too wild to be trusted out of the pen, and his stuff isn’t going to get refined in the minors against AAA-ball hitters.
Since Jones’ pitch count and innings totals are probably going to be tight for a while, you could work him back to full strength by giving him the bulk relief role that Mlodzinski is absorbing. But Jones got his knickers in a twist at the very suggestion of doing that while he was on a rehab stint in Altoona.
Jared Jones was asked tonight if he'd work out of the bullpen when he returns to the Pirates.
Here's what he had to say ???? pic.twitter.com/9H0JNacW7V
— Riley Holsinger (@HolsingerRiley) May 13, 2026
So the Pirates were never even considering that move, probably, in part because Jones would’ve balked at it.
Therefore, if stats don’t matter and saying the right thing doesn’t matter, why should Mlodzinski be held to a higher level of expectation than everybody else?
Look, I get it. Mlodzinski is 17-29 with 26 starts and 120 appearances over four years of Major League experience. He ain’t Roger Clemens. Who is he to call his own shots?
Then again, who is Jones to do that? He is a guy who flashed a lot of potential but has nothing more than a 6-8 record, a 4.14 ERA and two trips to the injured list on his MLB resume.
Who is Chandler to get a free pass as he learns how to doggy paddle in the deep end of the pool while everyone else is swimming like Michael Phelps to stay in the rotation?
Like offensive lineman Spencer Anderson’s situation with the Steelers, Mlodzinski probably feels as if his best attribute is his biggest curse: his versatility.
Perpetually viewed as a jack of all trades and a master of none. Starter. Late-inning guy. Middle reliever. Bulk innings pitcher. Opener-piggy-back guy. He’s done it all, and largely pretty well.
Plus, he’s not some scrub who just stumbled his way up through the system. This was the No. 31 pick in the 2020 draft.
”Eh, big deal. Just make Carmen go to the pen. He can do this too!”
Mlodzinski has every right to feel unsettled about his future when the Pirates have never let him settle in the present tense.
And if it’s the team that settles for anything substandard out of Jones or Chandler moving forward in the rotation, Mlodzinski will have every right to be even more upset.