INDIANAPOLIS — His return is likely coming very soon.
Tyler Glasnow might have made his last start with Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday after being optioned on June 10.
In the second inning of his first start with Indianapolis this season, Glasnow switched to pitching solely out of the stretch. He’s dominated since that point, posting a 1.99 ERA in 13 starts and striking out 122 batters in 81.1 innings.
So, what’s the holdup in bringing him back to the major leagues?
Well, not his performance.
Sure, the talent level at Triple-A is not the same as in the major leagues. But Glasnow is in a better place mentally and physically. Glasnow has shown the ability to consistently attack the strike zone, putting together one good performance after another.
“He has a 1.99 ERA in 13 starts,” Indianapolis manager Andy Barkett said. “The guy has pitched great and he’s ready to go and deserves a chance. I think everyone would acknowledge that. I think he’s ready to go to the big leagues.”
But there’s that elephant in the room and likely the main, if not only reason, he’s still in Indianapolis.
It’s a date on the calendar: Aug. 26.
The Pirates can gain an extra year of control if Glasnow is kept in the minor leagues through that point. And when looking at a power pitcher with his potential, that extra year of control over Glasnow might be a very valuable thing to have down the road.
Glasnow realizes the decision is business-related, along with the fact he can’t really do much about whatever choice the Pirates make with his future.
This topic also shows the maturation of Glasnow. He would have to wait an extra season before hitting free agency by being called up a few days later. But if that occurs, Glasnow says there’s one main reason: a 7.45 ERA in 12 starts with the Pirates this season.
“I mean all of this could be avoided if I went up and did well at the beginning,” Glasnow said. “It all kind of stems from that. I’m glad I’m down here making adjustments. I want to be back up eventually and I think I will be back up eventually. I just want to do what I can right now and I’ll do what I can when I go back up there.”
Glasnow has repeatedly said being optioned to Indianapolis was not only a good thing for himself, in order to fix things in his game, but it was also a deserved move based on his performance with the Pirates.
Once he returns to the major leagues, Glasnow said he has no idea if he’ll be a starter or pitch out of the bullpen. But that adds a new facet to his situation. As he continues to pitch at a high level, Glasnow has watched numerous teammates get promoted to bolster the Pirates’ bullpen.
Johnny Barbato, Steven Brault, Dovydas Neverauskas, and Edgar Santana have all been promoted within the past few weeks. Some of those players on more than one occasion, but Glasnow remains behind waiting for that contractual clock to wind down.
And Glasnow just watched three of those pitchers — Barbato, Brault and Santana — get promoted together on Tuesday.
“Especially on this team, you’re happy for everyone going up,” Glasnow said. “A lot of the guys are bullpen guys and it’s really, I don’t know, I’m a starter I guess. You control what you can control. It was awesome here when they all got called up and we talked to all of them.”
Glasnow’s next start, assuming he would remain on a normal schedule would be Sunday, but that’s one day after the Aug. 26 date.
The statistics Glasnow has put together with Indianapolis this season are similar to what he did last year. But this is a new Glasnow mentally, a player that seems content and confident with where he’s at as a pitcher. He’s taken sole responsibility for being in the situation of getting optioned back to Indianapolis. A mentally fresher Glasnow, along with his decision to pitch out of the stretch, make him an intriguing player to watch when he returns to the major leagues soon.
