Pirates Relief Pitcher Exercising Upward Mobility Clause - Again

Feb 18, 2026; Bradenton, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Joe La Sorsa (54) poses for a photo during media day at Pirate City. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Pirates Relief Pitcher Exercising Upward Mobility Clause - Again

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI
By Dominic Campbell | Last updated Jun 1, 2026 10:00 AM ET

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PITTSBURGH — A Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher will look outside of the franchise for his ultimate goal this season.

Pirates left-handed relief pitcher Joe La Sorsa is choosing to exercise his upward mobility clause on June 1, according to Ari Alexander of 7News Boston, where he'll try to find a MLB team that wants his services.

An upward mobility clause, when a player triggers it, allows the other 29 MLB teams to take a chance on them and add them to their roster.

The Pirates then have to trade La Sorsa to a team that wants him or he'll remain at Triple-A Indianapolis if no MLB team takes a chance on him.

Could a MLB Team Take a Chance on La Sorsa?

La Sorsa already triggered his upward mobility clause back before the season started, when the Pirates optioned him to Triple-A Indianapolis before Opening Day, but no team picked him up.

The Pirates signed him on a minor league deal this offseason and made him a non-roster invitee to Spring Training, where he posted a 2.25 ERA over four appearances in the Grapefruit League.

He has spent the whole season in Triple-A, posting a 1-1 record in 21 appearances and two starts, a 3.60 ERA over 25.0 innings pitched, 21 strikeouts to six walks, a .211 batting average allowed (BAA) and a 1.12 WHIP.

La Sorsa also pitched for Team Italy in the last two World Baseball Classics in 2023 and 2026, and has pitched for three different teams the past three seasons in the Tampa Bay Rays/Washington Nationals in 2023, the Nationals in 2024 and the Cincinnati Reds in 2025.

He didn't have a ton of success with these teams, posting a 5.21 ERA over 46 outings, with a .273 BAA and a 1.37 WHIP.

MLB teams are always looking for relief pitchers at this point of the season, so it's likely someone looks at him, but it also wouldn't come as a surprise to see him stick around in Indianapolis.

Will the Pirates Bring La Sorsa Up?

La Sorsa triggering the Upward Mobility Clause won't have much effect on how the Pirates operate moving forward.

The Pirates already have three strong left-handed options out of the bullpen in Mason Montgomery, Gregory Soto and Evan Sisk.

All three have excelled in different roles, providing crucial innings out of the bullpen, with Soto now the Pirates closer, Montgomery dominating with his fastball and Sisk befuddling pitchers with his unique arm angle and pitch mix.

If La Sorsa was a right-handed pitcher that excelled in high-leverage, then that would work, but the Pirates have other issues with finalizing their bullpen at the moment, like if Carmen Mlodzinski will pitch for them, and La Sorsa is likely not high on their priorities.

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

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