Report: Pirates promoting top prospect Chandler to pitch out of bullpen
The Pittsburgh Pirates will be selecting the contract of right-hander Bubba Chandler on Friday, a source told Alex Stumpf of MLB.com.
Chandler is the top pitching prospect in all of baseball and No. 7 overall, according to MLB Pipeline.
The Pirates will use the 22-year-old as a bulk reliever at first, per Stumpf. Pittsburgh reportedly views Chandler as a long-term starter and may start him before the season ends, but the team's current focus is on getting the pitcher MLB experience.
Chandler owns a 4.05 ERA with 10.9 K/9 over 100 innings (24 starts) in Triple-A this campaign. He was selected in the third round of the 2021 draft.
Pittsburgh could deploy a 2026 rotation that includes NL Cy Young favorite Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Jared Jones, and Chandler.