The Pirates will promote right-hander Luis Ortiz, their No. 22 prospect according to Baseball America, this week for their series with the Reds, per source.
The Pirates and Reds have a scheduled doubleheader Tuesday, which is what Ortiz is being called up for.
Ortiz, 23, may not have the best numbers this season, but his pure stuff has been eye-opening and has sparked his jump from finishing last year in Class Low-A Bradenton to the majors this season. He works primarily off of a high-90s fastball and a slider which he can spin. FanGraphs' scouting report grades both pitches as plus.
In 24 outings -- 23 of which were starts -- with Class AA Altoona, Ortiz pitched to a 4.64 ERA with a 26.9% strikeout rate and 7.9% walk rate over 114 1/3 innings. He was promoted to Class AAA Indianapolis last month and allowed four runs in 10 innings there. In his most recent start on Sept. 8, he threw six no-hit innings with nine strikeouts.
He will need to be added to the 40 man roster, so a corresponding move will be needed. He was Rule 5 eligible this offseason.
