The Pittsburgh Pirates have recalled Steven Brault to start tonight in Chicago against the Cubs. To make room on the 25-man roster, Gerrit Cole has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with posterior inflammation of his right elbow. The DL placement was made retroactive to August 25th, one day after his last start.
Brault has made two starts for the Pirates this season, both road starts against NL Central opponents. He made his Major League debut on July 5th in St Louis, and allowed one earned run over four innings. His second start came in Milwaukee on July 29th. He allowed three runs over six innings in that outing.
Brault was pulled from his last start in Indianapolis on Thursday night after two innings, which included a quick second inning that had two strikeouts and a ground out. No reason was given at the time, but it’s clear now that they limited his outing so he would be available to pitch today on short rest in place of Gerrit Cole.
