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Apr 1, 2025; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Thomas Harrington (78) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays in the second inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Pirates Prospect Duo Lands on Injured List

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI
By Dominic Campbell | Last updated Aug 11, 2025 9:00 AM ET

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates won't have two of their top prospects for some time after recent injuries.

Triple-A Indianapolis placed both right-handed starting pitcher Thomas Harrington and outfielder Billy Cook on the 7-day injured list, with Cook retroactive to Aug. 8 and Harrington retroactive to Aug. 9, according to the transactions log.

Harrington made his most recent start for Indianapolis on Aug. 8, giving up a two-run home run in the fifth inning and taking the loss in the 2-1 defeat to the Omaha Storm Chasers, the Triple-A affiliate fo the Kansas City Royals, going 4.2 innings and throwing 73 pitches.

Cook last played over the six-game road series with the Iowa Cubs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, from July 29-Aug. 3.

This marks the first time both players being on the Injured List, with Harrington last doing so April 5-May 7, 2024 and Cook doing it July 4-12, 2024, when he was with Triple-A Norfolk with the Baltimore Orioles.

Harrington spent time with the Pirates this season, as they selected his contract on April 1 and made his debut that same day vs. the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Stadium.

He struggled in that outing allowing seven hits, four walks and six earned runs with just two strikeouts over 90 pitches in four innings in the 7-0 loss.

He made his second appearance against the St. Louis Cardinals in his PNC Park debut on April 7, but this time, from the bullpen.

Harrington came in during the sixth inning and had a solid outing, closing out the final four innings in the 8-4 win.

He became the first Pirates pitcher to earn a four-inning save since Jason Christiansen did so in a 5-1 win over the Montreal Expos on July 17, 1998.

The Pirates sent Harrington back down to Indianapolis on April 10 and he spent almost four months there before they recalled him on Aug. 1.

Harrington struggled massively in his last outing with the Pirates against the Rockies at Coors Field that same day, giving up six earned runs and getting just two outs, as the home team came back cut the deficit to 15-10 and eventually won 17-16.

The Pirates sent Harrington back down to Indianapolis the next day and he made his last start with Omaha before going on the Injured List.

He has started 19 of 20 games he's pitched at Triple-A in 2025, with a 7-9 record, a 5.40 ERA over 95.0 innings pitched, 89 strikeouts to 33 walks, a .253 opposing batting average and a 1.33 WHIP.

The Pirates took Harrington with the No. 36 overall pick in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Campbell, as a competitive balance pick, earning a $2,050,000 million signing bonus.

MLB Pipeline originally had Harrington in their top 100 this season before dropping him out. They rank Harrington as the Pirates fifth best prospect.

Cook has spent most of his time with Indianapolis this season, slashing .248/.323/.384 for an OPS of .707 in 94 games, 82 hits in 331 at-bats, 17 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, 46 RBIs, 34 walks to 102 strikeouts and 13 stolen bases on 15 attempts.

He joined the Pirates on June 18, after outfielder Bryan Reynolds went on the Major League Paternity List, knocking him out for three games.

Cook finished with two hits in six at-bats, a run and a strikeout in his three games with the Pirates, two games as a pinch-runner and starting in center field vs. the Detroit Tigers in the first game of the doubleheader at Comerica Park on June 19.

He has played all over for Indianapolis in 2025, with 35 starts in center field, 21 games played and 18 starts at first base, 17 starts in left field, 14 games played and 12 starts in right field, plus seven games played and six starts at designated hitter.

The Pirates acquired Cook in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles on July 30, 2024, where they sent right-handed pitcher Patrick Reilly back in exchange.

Cook slashed .276/.389/.486 for an OPS of .875 in 30 games with Indianapolis after the trade, with 29 hits in 105 at-bats, seven doubles, five home runs, 21 RBIs, 17 walks to 36 strikeouts and nine stolen bases.

The Pirates selected Cook's contract on Sept. 8 and he would play in 16 games through the end of the season. He finished with a slash line of .224/.224/.449 for an OPS of .673, with 11 hits in 49 at-bats, two doubles, three home runs, eight RBIs and zero walks to 19 strikeouts.

Cook played four different positions at the MLB level last season, with five games each at first base and in center field, four games in right field and three games in left field.

MLB Pipeline ranks the 26-year old as the 21st best prospect in the Pirates farm system.

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

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