Pirates promote Roansy Contreras, tab him to start Wednesday

After a stand-out season with the Altoona Curve, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced that they have promoted right-handed pitcher Roansy Contreras and will start him tomorrow night against the Chicago Cubs.

The move was first announced in a tweet by MLB insider Hector Gomez and was later confirmed by Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Contreras, 21, is ranked as the Pirates’ No. 6 prospect and second best pitching prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, and he came to Pittsburgh in the offseason as part of the Jameson Taillon trade, and was assigned to Double-A Altoona at the start of the minor league season.

Despite missing part of the season with a forearm injury, Contreras managed to go 3-2 with a 3.65 ERA through 58 innings and held opposing hitters to a .185 batting average. Upon the conclusion of the Curve’s regular season, he was bumped up to Indianapolis where he started in one game and struck out six hitters over 3.2 innings pitched.

While Contreras’ promotion came quicker than most expected, manager Derek Shelton said that the promotion will give him and his coaching staff a good look at what they can expect from him in the coming years.

Contreras pitched in a few games with the Pirates during Spring Training, and quickly showcased his arsenal of pitches that includes a blazing four-seam fastball and a curveball with a huge break.

Below is a clip from one Spring Training appearance.

With Contreras expected to start tomorrow night against the Cubs, it officially means Pittsburgh will have another holiday to celebrate: Roansy Day.