Pirates promote Frank Duncan to Indianapolis, Edgar Santana to Altoona

Indianapolis and Altoona have announced a couple small transactions: The Pirates have placed Steven Brault on the DL with his hamstring strain, and they've moved Frank Duncan from Altoona to Indianapolis and Edgar Santana from Bradenton to Altoona.

It's not totally clear what Duncan's role in Indianapolis will be, but he might be joining Tyler Glasnow, Jameson Taillon, Chad Kuhl and Wilfredo Boscan in the Indy rotation. He had great success in a multi-inning role with the Curve this season, posting a 1.31 ERA while striking out 20 batters and walking six in 20.2 innings there. It's unclear if Duncan will stick at Triple-A once Brault returns.

Santana, meanwhile, will take Duncan's place on the Curve roster. He'll be interesting to watch in Altoona -- he's suddenly gone flying through the minors after getting a late start to his pro career. He was one of the most interesting players I saw last year in Morgantown, and since then he's carved up the lower levels. This year, he's pitched 22.1 innings of relief for Bradenton, striking out 20 batters, walking just two, and getting a ton of ground balls. He also throws in the mid-90s. If he keeps this up, he could elbow his way into the big-league bullpen at some point.