UPDATE: Pirates' GM Neal Huntington said the team will not be calling up Tyler Glasnow in September, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
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We know Corey Seager is coming up for the Dodgers. Joey Gallo already got a taste with the Rangers and Kyle Schwarber is still with the Cubs. Will the Pittsburgh Pirates promote top prospect Tyler Glasnow when the rosters expand next week?
Rumors indicate it could be a possibility. It's unknown in what manner the team will use him if he joins the MLB roster, but it seems as if he'd more likely be put in the rotation, where the Bucs don't really have any reliable arms beyond Gerrit Cole and Francisco Liriano.
A.J. Burnett could be back soon, but there's no relying on his elbow injury.
"Tyler Glasnow could be a call-up by the Pirates soon," ESPN's Eric Karabell said on Fantasy Now. "This guy is going to be a star ... I think he'll be in the rotation next year ... He's really good now and he's better than Jeff Locke or J.A. Happ. We don't know whether the Pirates are going to put Glasnow in the rotation - maybe he could be in their bullpen ... As you're going to see, the Pirates, in September, are going to face some bad teams."
Glasnow is 1-0 with a 0.99 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in five starts (27 1/3 innings) since being promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis. He has walked 15 batters, but he's also struck out 34. Aside from his WHIP at Triple-A, everything else checks out. He throws hard and owns a 2.07 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 122 strikeouts in 19 starts (95 2/3 innings) between Low Class-A West Virginia, Double-A Altoona and Indianapolis.
His best outing in Triple-A came this week when he earned his first win against the Charlotte Knights. Glasnow pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings and gave up just four hits and two walks while striking out nine.
Glasnow is the MLB's No. 7 overall prospect, according to Baseball America, whose midseason blurb on him from early July reads, "Talk about unhittable. For his career, Glasnow has allowed just 176 hits in 312 innings."
However, while Glasnow seems like he could be ready for MLB action, Charlie Wilmoth of Bucs Dugout isn't so sure the 22-year-old will get the call next week.
"I doubt it," he wrote when asked if Glasnow would get promoted. "The Pirates had a chance to call up Gerrit Cole in the midst of a playoff run in 2012 when Cole was at a point in his career somewhat similar to where Glasnow is now, and they didn't. They bring their top prospects along slowly, and mostly that's for the best, although if they did bring Glasnow up, I personally would be pretty excited about it."
Right now it seems like a toss up based on the rumors and chatter. The Pirates could use improvement in their rotation or they could rest some relievers as they continue their push for the postseason. On the other hand, Pittsburgh would begin Glasnow's service time clock with a promotion, which would give them less future club control over the right-hander. They also aren't known to be hasty with their top young talent.
This story has gone fairly under the radar up until this point, but be sure to make note of who the Pirates decide to call up when the MLB rosters expand next week.