Perrotto: Carmen Mlodzinski Ready for Whatever Comes His Way

PITTSBURGH – A shroud of mystery surrounds Carmen Mlodzinski’s return to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The right-hander was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis before the Pirates beat the Miami Marlins 5-2 at PNC Park to complete a 6-3 homestand and win for the fifth time in the last six games.

However, no one is saying what Mlodzinski’s role is with the Pirates.

Is he still a starting pitcher? Will he be a bulk reliever following an opener? Will he be a long man out of the bullpen? Will he pitch in a high-leverage role in relief?

“Nothing’s set in stone,” Mlodzinski said following the game. “I’ll pitch when they want me to pitch.”

Pirates manager Don Kelly did not shed any light on Mlodzinski’s status during his post-game press conference.

“Whatever the team needs him to do to win,” Kelly said. “That’s what we’re looking at from him. He’s a big-league pitcher, and we need him up here.”

So, it appears that Mlodzinski could take on a role as a utility pitcher, someone who does a little bit of everything. That would be fitting, as the Pirates are borderline obsessive about having as many utility players as possible among their position players.

Mlodzinski began this season in the Pirates’ rotation, the first time he has started during his three seasons in the major league. The results weren’t good as the 26-year-old had a 1-4 record and 5.67 ERA in nine starts before being optioned to Indianapolis on May 21.

Mlodzinski did not reach the sixth inning in any of his outings. That came after two successful years as a reliever/opener with the Pirates, posting a 2.91 ERA in 75 games.

Adding a bit of a plot twist is that the Pirates recalled Mlodzinski just three days after general manager Ben Cherington said on his weekly radio show that the right-hander would remain a starting pitcher.

Mlodzinski had asked the Pirates to convert back to a starting role at the end of last season. He had been a starting pitcher in the minor leagues during his first two professional seasons in 2021 and 2022 before being converted to a reliever in 2023 at Indianapolis.

Following his demotion to Indianapolis last month, Mlodzinski shined as he went 2-0 with a 1.15 ERA in three starts. He felt the time in Triple-A was beneficial, especially working with pitching coaches Drew Benes and Cibney Bello.

“They’re just good dudes,” Mlodzinski said. “They keep it light, and we just had a good, clear, focused plan to work on. It was easy to roll with. So, it was good being there, and the clubhouse and the guys down there are just fun. I’m obviously excited to be back, but it was a good time spending time there for sure.”

Mlodzinski believes he learned several lessons during his time in the Pirates’ rotation. Primarily, Mlodzinski understands he needs to mix his pitches better to keep hitters more off balance. He also plans to study scouting reports more thoroughly to gain a better understanding of how to approach hitters.

“I feel like I’m ready to build off what I did up here this year and what I did in Indy the last few weeks,” Mlodzinski said.

In whatever role the Pirates utilize him.