Key Part of Pittsburgh Pirates Bullpen Nearing Return to Major League Club

After going on the injured list in April, the Pittsburgh Pirates are close to getting back reliever Will Crowe for the stretch run.

After going on the injured list in April, the Pittsburgh Pirates are close to getting back key reliever Will Crowe for the second half of the season.

The following update comes from the Rotowire fantasy baseball portal:

Crowe (shoulder) began a rehab assignment with Single-A Bradenton on July 2 and has struck out two while allowing two hits and one walk over 3.1 scoreless innings across three appearances.

ANALYSIS
Crowe has been on the IL since April 26 with right shoulder discomfort, but he looks on track to be activated at some point shortly after the All-Star break. The right-hander is expected to be a key part of the bridge to closer David Bednar once he's back in the Pittsburgh bullpen.

That will be a big boon to a Pirates team that has fallen out of the race after a fantastic April. Pittsburgh is 41-49 at the break and now 8.5 games back in the National League Central. They've lost seven of their last 10 games. Their struggles, coupled with the Cincinnati Reds hot streak, has driven them to fourth in the division.

The 28-year-old Crowe has only pitched in five games this year, going 0-1 with a 4.66 ERA over 9.2 innings.

He was a reliable option in 2022, throwing in 60 games and pitching to a 4.38 ERA of 76.0 innings.

The Pirates will be back in action after the All-Star break on Friday, July 14 against the San Francisco Giants.

No pitching matchups for that game have been announced yet.

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