Pirates Make Pitching Swap Before Reds Game

Jun 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Antwone Kelly (62) pitches during the seventh inning against the Miami Marlins to make his major league debut at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Pirates Make Pitching Swap Before Reds Game

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI
By Dominic Campbell | Last updated Jul 31, 2026 3:48 PM ET

Add us as a preferred source on Google

CINCINNATI — The Pittsburgh Pirates need pitchers to take on innings out of their bullpen and have one young arm in mind for their next few games.

The Pirates recalled right-handed pitcher Antwone Kelly from Triple-A Indianapolis ahead of the second game of a four-game series vs. the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on July 31.

Pittsburgh, for the corresponding move, optioned left-handed pitcher Hunter Barco back to Indianapolis, making room for Kelly on the 26-man roster.

It's a big chance for Kelly to impress in the major leagues and fulfill the belief the Pirates front office has in his potential.

Why the Pirates Made This Pitching Change

Barco pitched three innings and threw 72 pitches, giving up two runs in the 3-2 loss to the Reds in the series opener on July 30.

The Pirates sending Barco down has to do with him not being able to pitch the next few days and bringing Kelly back gives them an available relief pitcher.

Kelly may get a bulk relief role, but the Pirates just need him ready to pitch after their bullpen game yesterday, where they had five relief pitchers throw.

He also hasn't pitched since July 25, six days ago, and is ready to go for this game against the Reds.

The Pirates have a bullpen featuring right-handed pitchers in Kelly, Wilber Dotel, Ron Marinaccio, Carmen Mlodzinski, Noah Murdock, Yohan Ramírez, plus left-handed pitchers in Mason Montgomery and Gregory Soto.

Background on Antwone Kelly

This marks the third stint for Kelly at the major league level, pitching in two games and then the Pirates sending him back down after each one.

Kelly struggled in those two outings, giving up a two-run home run in his 2.1 innings in the 8-3 loss to the Miami Marlins on June 12 and another two-run home run and an RBI-double over two innings in the 14-5 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on July 12, both at PNC Park.

He has spent the rest of the time down in Indianapolis, posting a 5-5 record in 13 starts and 19 appearances, a 4.29 ERA over 77.2 innings pitched, 56 strikeouts to 36 walks, a .248 BAA and a 1.40 WHIP.

Kelly has had great success in Triple-A in July, with a 2-0 record in four outings and one start, a 1.59 ERA over 17.0 innings pitched, a .186 BAA and a 0.94 WHIP.

He threw six scoreless innings of relief in a 6-0 road win over Omaha (Kansas City Royals) on July 3, threw four scoreless innings in a start in 13-6 road win over Columbus (Cleveland Guardians) on July 18 and threw five no-hit innings in a 9-0 win over Lehigh Valley (Philadelphia Phillies) in his most recent outing on July 25.

The Pirates will hope that Kelly can come up and bring that same kind of effectiveness, as they need to stay competitive in a tough NL Wild Card race.

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

More must-reads: