The Pittsburgh Pirates will call up pitcher Thomas Harrington to make the start against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday evening. It will be Harrington’s major league debut. The ever-diligent Pittsburgh Post-Gazette beat reporter Noah Hiles was the first to break this story.
Sources: The Pirates are promoting RHP Thomas Harrington from Triple-A Indianapolis. The No. 79 prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline will start for them tonight against the Rays.
— Noah Hiles (@_NoahHiles) April 1, 2025
Pirates to Call Up Pitcher Harrington
In a panic over their favorite team’s 1-4 start, Pirates fans have been clamoring for changes in that cesspool of toxicity otherwise known as social media. They’re getting what they want. On Monday, the Pirates acquired outfielder Alexander Canario from the New York Mets. Now, the Pirates No. 3 prospect will be taking the mound at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Interestingly, his mound opponent will be former Pirates No. 1 draft pick Shane Baz, whom they traded to the Rays in the controversial Chris Archer deal in 2018. Baz has never faced the Pirates. It will be must-see TV for Pirates fans.
This latest move is no knee-jerk reaction. Your friendly Pirates correspondent figured something was up with the rotation when Mitch Keller was chosen to pitch in the Pirates’ home opener on Friday against the New York Yankees. Keller’s normal turn would have come on Wednesday afternoon. Harrington made two late spring training starts for the Pirates before being sent to Triple-A Indianapolis on the final day. He never did pitch for Indy in 2025. This promotion appears to have been the plan all along.
Meet Thomas Harrington
Harrington is a 23-year-old right-handed pitcher. The Pirates drafted Harrington in the first round (36th overall) in the 2022 June Amateur Draft. He’s one of many top prospect pitchers in the Pirates system, alongside Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft, and Hunter Barco. Unlike those pitchers, Harrington is not a hard thrower and initially profiled as a No. 3 starter at best. However, he climbed the ladder quickly and surpassed every pitcher but Chandler on the prospect list. His meteoric rise featured a jump from Single-A to Double-A to Triple-A last year. Across those three levels, he was 7-3 with a 2.61 ERA and 0.963 WHIP.
Harrington is a strike thrower who walked just 19 of 458 batters faced in 2024. His fastball averages around 92.5 mph, while he dots the strike zone with a five-pitch mix that keeps hitters off balance.
The Last Word
The Pirates must make corresponding moves to the 40-man and the active rosters to make room for Harrington. These moves have not been announced as of this writing. Pirates observers still await news on who will be bumped from the 26-man roster for Canario.
Whether Harrington’s promotion signals that the Pirates are using a six-man rotation or ending the Carmen Mlodzinksi experiment is similarly unknown. Mlodzinski, a converted reliever, didn’t fare well in Monday’s start, surrendering four runs in 3 2/3 innings. He has minor league options remaining. The only other Pirates pitcher with options is Paul Skenes, whose roster spot is as secure as any in baseball.
Main Photo Credits: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
