In their first pitching staff transaction of the year, the Pirates have optioned young lefty Hunter Barco to AAA Indianapolis and have recalled Evan Sisk in a corresponding move.
After getting a cup of coffee last year, Barco entered this season as a top-100 prospect by some publications. This prospect helium mostly came from how he started 2025 in the minors, as he didn’t give up a single run in his six AA starts and was successful at AAA as well. He was good in his cup of coffee at the end of 2025, and looked primed to have a solid role with the 2026 club. While the Pirates had four definite members of their Opening Day rotation locked in, the fifth spot in the rotation was up for grabs for a variety of arms, with Barco being one of them. However, swingman Carmen Mlodzinski took the last rotation spot by the horns. This led to a Hunter Barco question – should he start the year in AAA as a starter, or get reps in the big leagues as a long reliever? The team decided he should get innings out of the pen, and the results were simply not there for Barco. While he got put in a few tough situations, he struggled mightily, giving up at least one run in three of his four appearances and three total home runs. It wouldn’t be surprising if we see Barco again sooner rather than later, but it seems unlikely he would return as a reliever to the big league squad. He will look to regain confidence in AAA.
In the corresponding move, Evan Sisk returns to the roster after making 14 appearances for the Bucs last year. A crafty lefty with a funky arm slot, the Pirates acquired Sisk at the 2025 trade deadline from the Royals along with Callan Moss for Bailey Falter. He performed okay for the Bucs, posting a 4.38 ERA, but had solid underlying numbers. While his fastball barely touches 90 mph, he is a strikeout artist with some heavy breaking balls. He will join Gregory Soto and Mason Montgomery as the lefties in the Bucs’ pen, of which has had ups and downs early this campaign. He will likely get mop-up duty and lefty specialist situations, and could potentially be an extremely important member of this pen as soon as today. The Pirates will be in Washington, of whose four most impactful hitters are all lefties.
