Pirates recall Travis Ishikawa, will add A.J. Burnett to rotation

The Pirates have announced that they've recalled Travis Ishikawa from his rehab assignment with Indianapolis. He'll give the Bucs an extra bat off the bench. He probably won't play much.

The Bucs have also decided to move A.J. Burnett back into their rotation. Clint Hurdle says he hasn't discussed the matter with whoever's getting bumped, so there's no announcement yet about that. Jeff Locke starts today, though, and unless there's an injury, I'd expect him to be sent to the bullpen. I'd imagine the Pirates don't want to tell him that until after he pitches. Locke has a 5.88 ERA in the second half. As I mentioned last week, I don't think that number is very representative of his ability, but either way, a healthy Burnett should be a big upgrade over the results Locke has gotten lately.

Francisco Liriano and J.A. Happ are scheduled to pitch the last two games of the Reds series. Burnett pitched a simulated game on Friday and could therefore return as soon as Wednesday, but it might be more likely that he pitches sometime in the Brewers series that starts Thursday. There are a couple pitchers in the rotation who could probably use an extra day of rest, but I'm not sure Happ is one of them. Anyway, the Pirates could end up announcing their plan later today.