The Pittsburgh Pirates have been doing a lot of roster shuffling since the MLB Trade Deadline, including another tweak to their pitching staff on Tuesday.
According to multiple reports, the Pirates are calling up relief pitcher Cam Sanders from Triple-A Indianapolis before Tuesday’s game against the San Francisco Giants.
A former Chicago Cubs pitching prospect who joined Pittsburgh’s farm system this year, Sanders has flourished after making some mechanical changes. In 33 relief appearances across Double-A and Triple-A, the 28-year-old right-hander is 4-1 with a 1.91 ERA, a 0.97 WHIP and 51 strikeouts in 42 1/3 innings.
With the Pirates in need of bullpen help after trading David Bednar and Caleb Ferguson last week, they’re willing to give Sanders a shot and see what he has. He’s never pitched in the Major Leagues and is on the older side for a prospect, but he could be a late bloomer.
In a corresponding move, Pittsburgh optioned starting pitcher Johan Oviedo to Triple-A Indianapolis. Oviedo struggled in his season debut on Monday, allowing two runs on two hits and three walks in one inning. He had trouble finding the strike zone, throwing just 23 of his 43 pitches for strikes.
Oviedo missed the entire 2024 season and the first half of 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, so he was understandably a bit rusty and wild in his first start since 2023. Sending him down to Triple-A gives him a bit more time to work out the kinks and polish his control.
After walking off the Giants on Monday, the Pirates will go for their third straight win on Tuesday behind Mike Burrows. Pittsburgh’s bullpen pitched eight innings yesterday after Oviedo only lasted one inning, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Don Kelly use Sanders as a fresh arm tonight or tomorrow.
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