Carmen Mlodzinski Rejoins Pirates After Restricted-List Absence

## Pirates’ Roster Shuffle: Mlodzinski’s Restricted List Move and What it Means for Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Pirates made an unexpected roster move by placing right-handed pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski on the restricted list. This decision, effective May 31st, temporarily removes him from the active roster and brings up right-hander Cam Sanders from Triple-A Indianapolis.

Honestly, it’s a bit of a head-scratcher and raises questions about the team’s pitching strategy and what comes next for Mlodzinski.

### The Anatomy of the Restricted List Move

A player on the restricted list sits out without pay or Major League Baseball service time. For Mlodzinski, that’s a tough blow for his development and, frankly, his bank account.

The move also opened up a valuable spot on Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster. That’s a big deal for managing personnel during the grind of a long season.

General Manager Ben Cherington gave a little insight, saying Mlodzinski was “not ready to” pitch on a particular Sunday. The team told him he needed to be available or risk losing his roster spot, which seems to have pushed things to this point.

#### The Rotation Crunch

The timing here is interesting. Jared Jones just returned from the 60-day injured list, giving the Pirates’ rotation a big boost.

Now, the rotation’s packed with Jones, Paul Skenes, Braxton Ashcraft, Mitch Keller, and Bubba Chandler. Mlodzinski, who’s said he’d rather start, suddenly finds himself left out.

The club looks at Mlodzinski’s experience as a swingman and long reliever and sees him as the logical choice to move out of a starting role. It really shows how much the Pirates value *role flexibility* in their pitching staff.

### Mlodzinski’s Performance and Future Outlook

Mlodzinski’s season has been a bit of a rollercoaster. Some stats look solid, but others raise eyebrows.

He’s put up a 3.76 ERA over 55 innings. That’s across 11 games, and he’s started nine of them.

But here’s the thing: his 50.9% hard-hit rate is tough to ignore. The Pirates’ player development staff probably isn’t thrilled about that.

Even with all that hard contact, Mlodzinski has kept the damage in check. He’s only given up three home runs.

His SIERA sits at 4.21, which is a bit higher than his ERA. To me, that hints that his results might be outpacing the underlying numbers—maybe by luck, maybe by skill. It’s hard to say for sure.

The club expects Mlodzinski to be available again by Tuesday. He says he never asked for a trade and is open to pitching out of the bullpen if it helps the team.

With the way the roster looks right now, relief work might be his best shot to contribute. Of course, baseball’s unpredictable—an injury or a slump from another pitcher could put him back in the rotation.

His flexibility is going to matter as the Pirates try to sort out their season.
 
Here is the source article for this story: Pirates Reinstate Carmen Mlodzinski From Restricted List