11:17 am: Pittsburgh isn’t ruling out the possibility Keller could make his next scheduled start Thursday against the Dodgers, GM Ben Cherington said (via Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).
9:31 am: The Pirates announced they’ve activated first baseman Colin Moran and reliever Austin Davis from the injured list. Starter Mitch Keller has been placed on the COVID-19 IL, while utilityman Cole Tucker was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Moran has been out of action for just under a month as a result of a left groin injury. Before going down, the 28-year-old had gotten off to a fantastic start at the plate. Moran has hit .297/.352/.468 with four home runs over his first 122 plate appearances. If he continues to produce at that level, he figures to draw some interest from contenders in advance of the July 30 trade deadline. Moran is controllable through 2023 via arbitration, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the rebuilding Bucs were willing to discuss him in trade as they continue to bolster the farm system.
Keller was removed from his start on Friday with what the team termed a “heat illness.” It’s not clear if that issue is related to his current IL placement. The 25-year-old has made eleven starts this season, tossing 44 2/3 innings of 6.65 ERA/6.94 SIERA ball. The team didn’t provide a timetable for Keller’s return.
With Keller going on the COVID injured list, the Pirates created the 40-man roster spot necessary to reinstate Davis. The southpaw hasn’t pitched this year on account of an elbow sprain, spending the entire season to date on the 60-day IL. Davis has a 5.66 ERA/4.04 SIERA in parts of three seasons with the Phillies and Pirates.
I’ve never seen a season from a player more inconsistent than Mitch Keller’s so far this year. He alternates from a very solid start to a very poor start, every start.
Sounds like they’re just being cautious. Could be just for contact tracing, or a ‘just in case’ kind of move.
As a big fan of Mitch’s potential, he is frustrating to watch. His fastball is great, his slider is great, his curveball is great. What I see a lot when I watch him is a lack of command. Not a lack of control, but a lack of command. If he is in the zone, he is in the heart of it. If he tries to get a guy to chase, he is way out of it. Too many hittable strikes, not enough chase-able balls. If he could command the area just off the plate better, I believe his stuff is good enough to be that true number one. Alas, he will most likely do it with another team after the Pirates give up on him.
Totally agree, but I don’t think the Pirates will be so easy to give up on him like they were with other pitchers. This is a whole new regime. There’s time, and they’ve been way more patient with players than the old regime. I think he’ll eventually figure it out with the Bucs. When he’s on, he’s on. When he’s not, he’s not. So it’s not like the Pirates can say they haven’t at least seen him be a really good pitcher.
To stevenevermadesensebraska….. This is a new regime. They will never ever again give away keller or any other prospect for nothing. So troll elsewhere.
The new regime is also doing the right thing by building from the ground up and not rushing the talent that is in AA and below. Cherington is doing the best thing possible in acquiring mostly younger players who are high ceiling who will a couple of years yet to move through the system. The more guys he gets means he can eventually operate like the Rays and Cards. Trade off vets who are aging while they still have value. Promote some when needed and still have enough prospects to use to trade to fill holes. Huntington and Littlefield panicked before the job was done and stared gutting the system for only low ceiling major league ready guys or trading prospects for aging names
Thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery.
I’m able to contribute 2, possibly 3, condolences as well if you want to start a GoFundMe page. I don’t get paid until next Friday, and I can’t be lazy anymore and sit on unemployment like other millennials. Can you believe they’re actually making me SEARCH for a job?!? I don’t get it.