Even with Gerrit Cole (shoulder) and Francisco Liriano (side) lost to injury and Wandy Rodriguez having been let go, the Pirates have been surging in recent weeks, and their replacements have been a large part of their recent success. They have received surprisingly good performances from Jeff Locke, Brandon Cumpton and Vance Worley.
Now that Cole is set to return on Saturday against the Mets, one of the trio is likely to lose his rotation spot. Manager Clint Hurdle has yet to disclose his plans, though he confirmed that Worley and Cumpton were still the probable starters for the first two games of that series. That has the look of a one-game audition for each pitcher, and that would make sense, as Locke has made the strongest case for keeping his current role.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has speculated that Cumpton is the most likely candidate for demotion, so while Worley could conceivably lose the job with a poor performance Thursday, owners in deeper mixed leagues and NL-only formats should consider picking him up now. If he pitches well in his upcoming start and Cumpton is sent down, Worley could be tougher to claim in just a couple of days.
As he has been pitching with improved control and possibly a rediscovered knack for getting called strikes, Worley could be a worthy addition in deeper leagues, even if he's been making Bartolo Colon look like a swing-and-miss pitcher. After making four good starts in a row, Locke should be getting some consideration in standard mixed leagues, at least for two-start weeks.