The Pittsburgh Pirates selected the contract of 24-year-old left-handed pitcher Hunter Barco on Tuesday, setting the stage for a late-season MLB debut by their No. 4 overall prospect.
Barco, splitting this season between Double-A and Triple-A, has gone a combined 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA in 99 1/3 innings, with 116 strikeouts and a .196 batting average against over 27 appearances (23 starts).
Beginning the season in Altoona, Barco didn’t allow a run over six outings with the Curve, leading to a promotion to Triple-A in early May.
With the Indians, he went 3-1 with a 3.79 ERA.
At the time of his call-up Tuesday, Barco was enjoying a solid month of September with the Indians, posting a 2.70 ERA over three games (one start) and 6 2/3 frames.
A 6-foot-4, 235-pound pitcher, Barco was selected in the second round (No. 44 overall) of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Pirates out of Florida.
At the time, Barco was in the early stages of recovering from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent that spring after his final campaign with the Gators was cut short.
Barco utilizes three pitches: a sinker, slider and splitter.
He is set to become the ninth Pirates prospect to make a MLB debut this season, following Thomas Harrington, Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler, Cam Sanders, Tsung Che-Cheng, Matt Gorski, Cam Devanney and Rafael Flores.
Barco becomes the final man on the Pirates’ 40-man roster as the club begins an end-of-season six-game road trip, beginning Tuesday night in Cincinnati.
In corresponding transactions, the Pirates optioned lefty Evan Sisk to the minors and transferred outfielder Ronny Simon to the 60-day injured list, creating room for Barco.
