Pirates Add Much-Needed Reliever to Bullpen

Aug 10, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Cam Sanders (64) pitches against the Cincinnati Reds during the ninth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Pirates Add Much-Needed Reliever to Bullpen

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI
By Dominic Campbell | Last updated Apr 17, 2026 11:24 AM ET

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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates are making another bullpen move ahead of their next series at home.

The Pirates are reportedly calling up right-handed relief pitcher Cam Sanders ahead of their series vs. the Tampa Bay Rays at PNC Park. Matt Moscona of Locked In LSU first reported the news and Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette corroborated it.

No news on who is going down, as the Pirates will have to option a player to go to Triple-A Indianapolis, but since Sanders is already on the 40-man roster, they won't have to designate someone for assignment.

Sanders has pitched for the Pirates previously, but this is his first shot with the team at he major league level in 2026.

What This Means for the Pirates Bullpen

The Pirates had five right-handed arms and three left-handed pitchers in their bullpen before Sanders was called up.

This includes Justin Lawrence, Isaac Mattson, Yohan Ramírez, Dennis Santana and José Urquidy for the right-handers and then three southpaws in Mason Montgomery, Evan Sisk and Gregory Soto.

Sanders gives the Pirates a middle reliever that they would desire, as someone who can take on more than one inning and give the bullpen some rest when needed, or if a starting pitcher doesn't go as long as expected.

The Pirates' middle reliever options are essentially Ramírez and also Urquidy, who is more so a starting pitcher than a reliever anyways.

Sanders' History With the Pirates

Sanders made seven appearances out of the bullpen for Indianapolis this season, with two earned runs allowed over six innings for a 3.00 ERA, 11 strikeouts to seven walks, a .190 batting average allowed (BAA) and a 1.83 WHIP.

He had three stints with the Pirates last season, where he made six appearances, posted an 8.10 ERA over 6.2 innings pitched, issued five walks to four strikeouts, a .310 BAA and a 2.10 WHIP.

Sanders' first three outings for the Pirates were solid, with four scoreless innings thrown, just two hits and one walk allowed, while posting three strikeouts.

He then struggled in his final three appearances, giving up five earned runs in the top of the ninth inning in the 14-8 defeat to the Cincinnati Reds at home on Aug. 10, allowing three runs to score in a 12-5 defeat to the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Aug. 13 and then giving up solo home run to Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong in the 4-0 defeat at home on Sept. 15.

The Pirates will need to see more efficiency from Sanders going forward, especially as they've had a decent season so far at 11-8 through the first 19 games.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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