Gerrit Cole, who has been on the disabled list with right shoulder fatigue, will return on Saturday, and will be making the start for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the New York Mets. Pirates’ manager Clint Hurdle said that the team was still figuring out what that would do to the rotation.
“We’re in discussions right now about what that will do to the rotation,” Hurdle said.
Hurdle didn’t comment on whether one of the existing starters would move to the bullpen. The current rotation includes Charlie Morton, Edinson Volquez, Jeff Locke, Vance Worley, and Brandon Cumpton. Locke and Cumpton are the only ones with options remaining, and of the two, Cumpton would seem most likely to go down.
The probable starters for the weekend series are Worley (Thursday), Cumpton (Friday), and Volquez (Saturday). I’d be surprised if Volquez was the guy replaced, as he’s been better than Cumpton, and the Pirates could maintain starting pitching depth by sending Cumpton down. Hurdle said that the discussions would start tomorrow, so it’s possible the upcoming rotation could change.