The Pittsburgh Pirates need right-handed relief help. Their righty relievers in the month of May own a 6.71 ERA, 5.60 FIP, and 1.82 WHIP. A .353 batting average on balls in play surely isn’t helping their luck, but they still have the 6th worst K-BB% (7.9%), the third worst barrel rate (10.1%), and the seventh worst exit velocity (89.4 MPH). Carmen Mlodzinski moving to the pen will help things; they need to make another move. That move should be obvious, and it is calling up top pitching prospect Antwone Kelly.
On the surface, Kelly’s numbers aren’t good. He has a 4.96 ERA, 5.94 FIP, and 1.53 WHIP over his first 49 innings of the season. Although his 10.5% walk rate is better than average, his 19.1% K% is below average. Home runs have given Kelly the most problems, with a 1.65 HR/9 ratio. Of course, bottom-line results are far from the most important thing when evaluating a pitching prospect at Triple-A.
Kelly’s stuff is nothing short of impressive. He sits 97-98 MPH as a starter with above-average movement on his four-seam fastball. His max fastball velocity comes in at 101.3 MPH. He’ll also throw a mid-90s sinker and an upper-80s cutter. His go-to offspeed offering is a mid-80s change-up. Kelly has shown solid control over all of his offerings as well.
Even if you are concerned about his bottom line, he has done much better recently. Kelly finishes out the month of May with a 3.60 ERA with an improved 23.5% strikeout rate and 5.9% walk rate over 25 innings. The long ball still gave him some trouble with a 1.44 HR/9 ratio; all four home runs he allowed this month all came in one outing on May 12th. Outside of that start, Kelly allowed zero homers in four other games. Kelly was also dominant last year, working to a 3.02 ERA, 27.2% strikeout rate, and 7.7% walk rate.
The Pirates are also not unfamiliar with promoting prospects with unimpressive Triple-A numbers, only for them to pitch well in the Major Leagues. Wilber Dotel did not particularly mow down hitters at the minor league’s highest level, and yet he looks dominant in MLB. Braxton Ashcraft had an ERA over 5.00 before the Pirates promoted him for his MLB debut in 2025, and he went on to have an outstanding rookie campaign.
Some may argue that promoting Kelly just to put him in the bullpen is a waste. However, this strategy has worked well with Pirates pitching prospects with good stuff. It worked magnificently with Ashcraft last year. Mike Burrows also started his first few games as a reliever. Luis Ortiz was very successful as a long reliever before moving to the rotation in 2024. The only one it hasn’t worked out well for is Hunter Barco, whose stuff pales in comparison to Kelly’s. There is potential long-term benefit from giving Kelly a look as a reliever first.
Plus, Kelly’s stuff could even play up in shorter outings out of the pen. Baseball America is so bullish on his potential as a reliever. They projected him as the Pirates’ closer by 2029 per their pre-2026 prospect rankings. Obviously, they don’t have a crystal ball. After all, they once projected Braxton Ashcraft and Jared Jones as their future closers in their 2025 and 2022 prospect rankings.
Regardless of Kelly’s long-term role, it’s clear what the Pirates need right now: another right-handed reliever. The Pirates should reward Kelly’s solid month of May with a promotion to the Major Leagues. His stuff could make him an utterly dominant bullpen arm, and he doesn’t have major questions regarding his control. The fact that he could also provide multiple innings at a time only makes him more valuable to a Pirates’ pen that needs help.
