Pirates Recall Cal Mitchell, Johan Oviedo From Triple-A

The calendar officially reads September, which means major league rosters have expanded from 26 to 28 players. To fill the two roster spots, the Pittsburgh Pirates have recalled outfielder Cal Mitchell and right-hander Johan Oviedo from Triple-A Indianapolis.

Oviedo will start Friday’s game against the Blue Jays in his Pirates’ debut.

Oviedo was acquired by the Pirates along side Malcom Nunez from the St. Louis Cardinals in the deadline deal that sent Jose Quintana and Chris Stratton to St. Louis.

In five games (four starts) with Indianapolis since being acquired, Oviedo posted a sparkling 0.79 ERA in 11.1 innings. The right-hander struck out 13 batters in those five appearances.

Oviedo, 24, owned a 3.20 ERA in 25.1 innings, pitching largely out of the Cardinals’ bullpen in 2022.

For his big league career, Oviedo is 2-9 with a 4.65 ERA in 33 appearances/19 starts in parts of three seasons with St. Louis.

Mitchell has already seen big league action with the Pirates this season. In 44 games with the Bucs, Mitchell has hit .204 with a .577 OPS. He’s recorded six doubles, four homers and has driven in 13 runs.

The Pirates optioned Mitchell to Indianapolis on Aug. 9, and the 23-year-old has performed well with the Indians since then. In 17 games in August at Triple-A, Mitchell posted a 1.126 OPS with 10 extra-base hits including four home runs. His OPS ranked second in the International League over that stretch.