Pirates GM Addresses Bubba Chandler Situation

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates star prospect Bubba Chandler didn't have a great month of June, but an important figure in the organization isn't concerned.

Chandler, pitching for Triple-A Indianapolis, recently had his worst start of the season on June 22, where he allowed six earned runs over 2.2 innings in a loss to the Columbus Clippers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians.

He finished with an 8.53 ERA over five starts and 12.2 innings pitched over June, with 12 earned runs allowed, 12 walks to 11 strikeouts, a .309 opposing batting average and a 2.29 WHIP.

This contrasts with his great start to the season, where he allowed 11 earned runs over his first two months of the season, in 11 starts and 48.2 innings pitched for Indianapolis for a 2.03 ERA.

One of his best performances includes pitching six no-hit innings vs. the Toledo Mud Hens, the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, on the road on May 24.

Chandler has a 3.38 ERA over 16 starts and 61.1 innings pitched, 80 strikeouts to 33 walks, a .212 opposing batting average, a 1.32 WHIP and an 11.74 K/9.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington spoke on Chandler and said that it's just a difficult stretch for him and that they want him at the MLB level at some point this season.

Cherington also said that Chandler is not pitching as well as he was earlier in 2025, but that he's learning from his mistakes and will get back to his best stuff in no time.

"Personally, I think it's just that. I think it's a bump in the road," Cherington said. "He had such a dominant two months and it's hard to sustain that every single outing. He's also in Triple-A, and like everyone else in Triple-A, they want to be in the big leagues. We're helping him manage that. As I've said before, we feel like it would be a good outcome for Bubba and for the Pirates if he's pitching games at PNC this year. Still want that to be the outcome and believe he'll put himself in a position to make that happen."

"The execution and command hasn't been quite what it was. The quality of the pitches is still there. The velo is still there. He's healthy. He's just not dominating the strike zone as much as he was, really, and not dominating counts quite as much to put himself in the best position. It's just led to some messier outings. He's learned from that. He's very focused on it. He's super accountable. He knows what he has to do to put himself back in a good spot."