Pirates Place JT Brubaker on 15-Day IL; Recall Luis Ortiz

The Pittsburgh Pirates placed right-hander JT Brubaker on the 15-day injured list with right arm inflammation and recalled rookie right-hander Luis Ortiz from Triple-A Indianapolis.

In Brubaker’s last start, he was removed early with right lat discomfort on Thursday against the New York Mets.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on his weekly radio show Sunday he expects to see Brubaker back for at least one more start before the end of the season. Cherington said Brubaker needs rest and rehabilitation to recover from the injury.

Some Pirates fans were rather upset when the team sent Ortiz back down to Triple-A after his MLB debut. He pitched 5.2 innings of shutout ball on Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds.

Now, those fans have something to be happy about. There isn’t a starting pitcher listed against the New York Yankees on Tuesday, so one might expect Ortiz to be inserted right into the rotation.

The 23-year-old Ortiz had some expected issues during his MLB debut, including some wildness. Ortiz walked three batters.

On the good side, Ortiz allowed only one hit, struck out four and reaching tripled digits with his fastball.