Barco could be used as a bulk reliever behind opening pitcher Yohan Ramirez in Thursday's game in Cincinnati, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.
The Pirates recalled Barco from Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday, but he went unused in relief during the team's 3-0 loss to the Diamondbacks. With Ramirez likely to be limited to one or two innings Thursday in his first big-league start, Barco will be the freshest arm in the Pittsburgh bullpen and is one of the few options who's capable of covering multiple frames. Barco has handled a swingman role at Triple-A for most of the season, posting a 4.87 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 49:23 K:BB in 44.1 innings.