The Pittsburgh Pirates made four pitching staff moves Friday after dropping their second straight game, recalling right-handers Thomas Harrington and Antwone Kelly from Triple-A Indianapolis while optioning right-handers Cam Sanders and Hunter Stratton.
The transactions give Pittsburgh two fresh pitchers ahead of its final series before the All-Star break.
Harrington returns to the major league roster as one of the organization's top pitching prospects. Ranked No. 12 in the Pirates system by MLB Pipeline, the 24-year-old posted a 6.52 ERA with 56 strikeouts across 58 innings in 20 appearances, including six starts, for Indianapolis this season.
Kelly also earned another opportunity after making his major league debut on June 12. The 22-year-old right-hander, ranked No. 7 in the organization by MLB Pipeline, compiled a 4.85 ERA with 54 strikeouts over 68.2 innings in 17 Triple-A appearances while continuing his development as one of Pittsburgh's promising young arms.
The corresponding moves came after Sanders and Stratton both pitched during Thursday's loss to the Atlanta Braves. Sanders threw 39 pitches while recording two outs, and Stratton followed with 1⅓ scoreless innings and two strikeouts before both were optioned back to Indianapolis.
Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
The roster shuffle gives the Pirates an opportunity to evaluate two young pitchers at the major league level while allowing Sanders and Stratton to continue logging regular innings in Triple-A. Both remain on Pittsburgh's 40-man roster and are eligible to return later this season.
Pittsburgh will look to get an immediate boost from Harrington and Kelly as it attempts to snap its two-game skid and finish the first half on a positive note.
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