Bucs’ rotation in flux after Brault shut down

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- A new consideration was added to the Pirates’ list of starting rotation decisions on Monday, as the club announced that left-hander Steven Brault will be shut down from throwing with a left shoulder muscle strain.

In two weeks, the Pirates plan to reassess Brault, who went on the IL with the same injury on July 9 to halt a run of success (2.04 ERA in previous seven starts). He’ll remain with the team during his rehab.

The two-week mark is only 10 days shy of Opening Day, making it unlikely Brault, who recorded 5.16 ERA in 25 appearances (19 starts) last season, will make the Opening Day roster.

“I don’t think we would say that specifically yet,” manager Derek Shelton said. “I think we’re going to evaluate in two weeks, and then at that time, we’ll have a better indicator of where we’re at. With anything, you can’t say definitively yes or no, so it’s more of [go] two weeks from now, reevaluate, then kind of go from there.”

If it’s the case that Brault isn’t ready for Game 1, the Pirates have candidates to fill in.

Mitch Keller, the No. 39 prospect in baseball, is a strong candidate to be a back-end starter. Though the 23-year-old started 2019 on a low note, with six-plus runs allowed in four of his first seven MLB starts, he rebounded to pitch to a 4.32 ERA over his final four outings of the year. He’s added a slider to his repertoire, which he hopes will get him out of at-bats more quickly than last year.

“My mentality going through here is I’m still fighting for a spot,” Keller said. “No one’s told me that I’ve got it or I don’t, so it would be kind of foolish of me to think that I do have it."

Derek Holland, who signed a Minor League contract with the Pirates on Jan. 31, was converted to a reliever by the Giants in 2019, then had the same role with the Cubs. But the 33-year-old has made 222 starts over his 11-year career, and he could fill in while close-to-MLB prospects like J.T. Brubaker likely begin the new season in the Minors.

“We saw him throw the ball extremely well down in Fort Myers,” Shelton said of Holland, “and it’s the reason we signed him. We knew what he could do, and we know he can pitch, and he can execute pitches.”

If Holland is in the rotation, that will open up a spot in the bullpen. Add that to the one cleared by Clay Holmes (right foot fracture), and it should give a chance for a number of Pirates relievers to crack the roster, including out-of-options right-handers like Chris Stratton and Dovydas Neverauskas and lefties like Sam Howard, Robbie Erlin, Miguel Del Pozo and Nik Turley.

“I think that’s hard to say, because we don’t know how the function of our roster is going to be in the next 2 1/2-3 weeks,” Shelton said of Brault. “I think when we go two weeks from now, we’ll have a better idea of not only where he’s at health-wise, but where we’re at with the rest of our bullpen.”

Though it will be a long shot for Opening Day, Chad Kuhl is also competing to return to the rotation for the first time since June 26, 2018. Kuhl made his spring debut Friday with two-thirds of an inning of relief. But the Pirates are being cautious with the righty, making it unlikely he’ll be a starter when the season begins.

There’s also a potential for more than one rotation piece missing on Opening Day, including the Pirates’ inaugural starter in 2020. Chris Archer threw a live bullpen session as he tries to get back on the mound after experiencing neck tightness on Feb. 24. Shelton did not have the results of that as of game time on Monday, but he said pitching coach Oscar Marin stayed back in Bradenton, Fla., to watch.

Up next
The Pirates will be off on Tuesday before splitting their squad for games against the Braves and the Phillies. The home team, which will take on Atlanta, will be led into action by Trevor Williams for a 1:05 p.m. ET bout at LECOM Park. Hector Noesí will start for the group headed to Spectrum Field to face the Phillies, who will turn to Aaron Nola for the 1:05 p.m. contest. The home game will be live on MLB.TV, while the road game will be available on Gameday Audio.