With the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers visiting for the final series before the All-Star break, the Pittsburgh Pirates shuffled their bullpen by promoting a pair of right-handed pitchers.
The Pirates recalled Thomas Harrington and Antwone Kelly from Triple-A Indianapolis and optioned right-handed relievers Cam Sanders and Hunter Stratton after Thursday’s 10-5 loss to Atlanta. Sanders allowed three runs on two hits and three walks with two strikeouts in two-thirds of an inning, and Stratton allowed two hits and had two strikeouts in 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Harrington, who turns 25 on Sunday, is ranked a top-30 prospect in the Pirates’ system by both MLB Pipeline (No. 12) and Baseball America (No. 26). He has 56 strikeouts over 58 innings in 20 appearances (six starts) this season at Indianapolis.
Harrington made three appearances for the Pirates last season, starting and throwing four innings April 1 at Tampa Bay and pitching in relief with four innings April 7 against St. Louis and two innings on Aug. 1 at Colorado.
The 22-year-old Kelly, a top-15 prospect by MLB Pipeline (No. 7) and Baseball America (No. 14), is in his second stint with the Pirates this season. He became the first Pirate and seventh player from Aruba to appear in an MLB game when he made his debut June 12 against Miami, allowing two runs on two hits and one walk with one strikeout in 2 1/3 innings. Kelly has pitched 68 2/3 innings over 17 outings.