Why Top Pirates Prospect Exited Minor League Game During First Inning

Pittsburgh Pirates fans didn’t get to see much of the organization’s premier prospect Wednesday.

Bubba Chandler retired just two batters before exiting his latest start at Triple-A Indianapolis. With a rehabbing Joey Bart behind the plate, the 22-year-old allowed four walks and a run before getting pulled.

On the bright side, the quick hook wasn’t injury-related. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Noah Hiles, Chandler is fine but got pulled because he threw too many pitches in the opening frame.

For the second straight year, the Pirates could welcome a highly heralded young pitcher to their rotation. MLB.com ranks Chandler as the game’s No. 2 overall prospect behind Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony, who received a promotion earlier this week.

Chandler has dazzled scouts by posting a 2.63 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 51 1/3 innings this season. On May 30, the right-hander tossed six 100-mph pitches while working five scoreless innings.

That dominant outing prompted conversations about when Chandler would join Paul Skenes in Pittsburgh’s big-league rotation. However, he then yielded three runs over two innings last Thursday before losing the strike zone Wednesday.

Chandler has now served up 26 walks in 13 starts, elevating last year’s 3.1 BB/9 rate to 4.6. As a result, he’s recorded an out beyond the fifth inning once in 2025.

The recent hiccup could delay Chandler’s highly-anticipated arrival until he regains his command, but his dominant stuff and ace upside could still motivate the Pirates to bring him up this summer.

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