The Pittsburgh Pirates will activate pitcher Martín Pérez from the injured list in time to start Friday’s game in Atlanta. Although the move has yet to be formally announced, he’s penciled in as the starter on the Pirates’ website. Pérez will oppose Braves starter and former Pirate Charlie Morton. To make room for Pérez, recently signed reliever Justin Bruihl has again shuttled to triple-A Indianapolis.
Return Of Veteran Pitcher Shakes Up Pirates Rotation
Pérez, 33, is 1-3 with a 4.71 ERA and 1.552 WHIP in 11 starts. Initially thought to be a back-of-the-rotation starter when he was signed in December, he forced his way into starting the second game of the season with a good spring. The veteran left-hander had a 2.86 ERA at the end of April. Unfortunately, May wasn’t as kind, as he gave up 19 earned runs in 22 2/3 innings during that month.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton had been using bullpen games in Pérez’s spot since he went on the IL on May 28. It was thought Daulton Jefferies might take that spot when he was brought up on June 17. However, Shelton has used Jefferies out of the bullpen and seems to like what he’s seen there.
What happens to the rotation will be interesting to see. The trio of Mitch Keller, Paul Skenes, and Jared Jones shouldn’t be going anywhere. The only thing Shelton and pitching coach Oscar Marin should be saying to them is when their next turns are. However, the recent series against the Reds in Cincinnati may have portended some changes to the rotation.
Falter Falters While Ortiz Shines
One of those changes might involve left-hander Bailey Falter. A surprise awardee of a starting berth out of spring training, Falter awarded the Pirates’ confidence with some strong outings. On June 18, he pitched a strong seven innings at home against the Reds, losing 2-1. Things took an odd turn in his next start in Cincinnati on Monday. After pitching three perfect innings, he didn’t miss many bats in the fourth, surrendering five runs. Four innings was all the Bucs got from Falter that evening. After the game, he blamed exhaustion, an honest but startling admission from a starter this deep into the season. It may be time to shut Falter down for a while once the Pirates activate Pérez.
That might be possible thanks to the sudden emergence of Luis Ortiz as a viable option. After pitching well in most of the recent bullpen games, the Pirates decided to give him a start on Wednesday. He responded by pitching six innings, giving up one run on four hits, walking none, and striking out seven.
Ortiz came up in September 2022 and impressed the Pirates with his velocity in four starts despite a 4.50 ERA. He saw a mysterious drop in his velocity in 2023 when he was racked up to the tune of a 4.78 ERA and 1.696 WHIP in 18 games. Thus, he never seemed to be a legitimate candidate for a starting berth in this year’s spring training.
Nevertheless, Ortiz rejuvenated his career with some strong pitching in 2024 and perhaps earned Falter’s rotation spot. After Wednesday’s performance, Ortiz has a 3.23 ERA, 1.226 WHIP, 126 ERA+, and 7.3 strikeouts per nine innings.
The Last Word
The guess here is that Ortiz will claim Falter’s spot in the rotation. Once the Pirates activate Pérez, he’ll remain in the rotation but needs to improve upon his May performance to avoid being dangled as trade bait in July. He also has major league experience pitching relief, including as recently as last year with the Texas Rangers. However, as a soft tosser, he seems ill-suited for that role in Pittsburgh. Should he follow Skenes or Jones out of the pen, his pitches will look like softballs to opposing hitters. More interesting decisions loom once Quinn Priester and Marco Gonzales return from the IL.
Main Photo Credits: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
