Bubba Chandler hasn’t exactly been great over the past two months. June was a struggle for the 23-year-old right-hander, and July wasn’t much better. Pitching also hasn’t been a dire need for this year’s Pirates, who have consistently received reliable production from their rotation.

Still, the logic behind Chandler remaining in Triple-A Indianapolis is getting tougher and tougher to understand.

Following this year’s trade deadline, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington highlighted three reasons he believes the team is in a better position to compete in 2026. One of them pertained to getting younger players major league reps, especially those who will likely help the team win games next year.

“As we looked forward towards 2026, it was really looking toward, OK, what starting pitchers i

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