The Pittsburgh Pirates are expected to call up right-handed pitcher Alex McRae today from Indianapolis according to Sean McCool of Pirates Prospects. He will need to be added to the 40-man roster, which has one spot open.
McRae has pitched well in his last two starts at Indianapolis, but he has been struggling for the most part in his first turn at Triple-A. He has a 4.61 ERA in 84 innings, with an 80:39 SO/BB ratio, a .290 BAA, a 1.58 WHIP and a 1.38 GO/AO ratio. He’s mostly a ground ball pitcher, though the strikeouts have trended up this year. McRae works quickly and throws his fastball low-to-mid 90s, mixing his pitches well.
The appeal here is quite simple. The Pirates needed 6.2 innings from their bullpen last night and multiple pitchers wouldn’t be available tonight. McRae was scheduled to start tonight in Indianapolis, and he has allowed just one run in his last 12.2 innings. The hope is obviously that they don’t need him at all tonight, but if they do, he can give them multiple innings and upwards of 100 pitches.
