Pirates' Ben Cherington offers insight on Carmen Mlodzinski situation

Despite capping off a series sweep of the Minnesota Twins on Sunday, the story surrounding the Pittsburgh Pirates is right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski. 

In a series of roster moves that featured 20-year-old Konnor Griffin heading to the injured list, the Pirates placed Mlodzinski on the restricted list. To replace Mlodzinski, the Pirates recalled right-hander Cam Sanders from Triple-A Indianapolis.  

Mlodzinski's placement on the restricted list comes in the wake of his comments about his removal from the starting rotation and being sent to the bullpen. The Pirates opted to move the 27-year-old to the bullpen when right-hander Jared Jones was activated from the injured list. 

Placing Mlodzinski on the restricted list raised some eyebrows, prompting a response from Pirates general manager Ben Cherington, who stressed that both the front office and Mlodzinski are having "conversations." 

Ben Cherington reveals why the Pirates placed Carmen Mlodzinski on the restricted list

"Going back to Wednesday when we had the first conversation with Carmen about the decision about the rotation,” Cherington said to reporters. “The decision was clear to us, and we also understood that it would likely be a challenging conversation. We understood how strongly Carmen desires to start, and we believe he can be a starting pitcher. But we made that decision, and in the days since then, I believe we’ve had consistent communication with Carmen.” 

When asked whether Mlodzinski requested a trade, Cherington replied "No" and added that the Pirates will "need him to be ready, or we're going to have to replace him." Cherington believes Mlodzinski will pitch for the Pirates again this season. 

Pirates moving Carmen Mlodzinski to the bullpen was warranted

The Pirates moving Mlodzinski to the bullpen was warranted, as he had a 4.30 ERA and allowed a .295 batting average against in nine starts (44.0 innings). Mlodzinski's last start for the Pirates came against the Chicago Cubs on May 25. He performed well, tossing five innings of one-run baseball, but walked three. 

The move was also prompted by the Pirates having one of the better starting rotations in Major League Baseball, with five quality arms led by reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes. The Pirates' starting staff is tied for the fifth-fewest home runs allowed (29) and tied for seventh in strikeouts (309). 

Even though Mlodzinski received a demotion, he will be needed, as Cherington said. Jones is coming off Tommy John surgery and struggled in his first start since 2024, allowing five earned runs in 4.1 innings against the Twins on Friday. 

With Jones'snext start expected to be on Thursday versus the Houston Astros, the Pirates may need Mlodzinski to piggyback if Jones gets into trouble or doesn't provide length.