Pirates' Braxton Ashcraft: Dazzles in combined shutout
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Ashcraft (4-2) picked up the win in Friday's 9-0 rout of the Rockies, allowing one hit and one walk over five scoreless innings. He struck out six.
Making his third straight start, Ashcraft delivered the best performance of his young career as he combined with fellow rookie Bubba Chandler on the shutout. Ashcraft racked up 14 swinging strikes on only 65 pitches (47 total strikes) as he set a new personal best in Ks, and since moving into the rotation the 25-year-old righty has a 1.35 ERA, 0.67 WHIP and 15:2 K:BB over 13.1 innings. He'll look to keep rolling in his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road next week in St. Louis.
Ashcraft did not factor into the decision in Friday's 3-2 win over the Cubs, allowing one run on three hits and no walks with four strikeouts over five innings.
Ashcraft was highly efficient, needing just 61 pitches to get through five innings while generating nine swinging strikes. It was the 25-year-old's longest outing of the season, and he's now given up only two earned runs over 8.1 frames in back-to-back starts after spending most of the year in the bullpen. He owns a 3.02 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 37:13 K:BB across 41.2 innings and could get another turn in the Pirates' rotation, tentatively lining up for a home start against the Blue Jays next week.
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Pirates' Braxton Ashcraft: Drawing another start
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Ashcraft is slated to start Friday's game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.
After making his previous nine appearances out of the bullpen, Ashcraft picked up his second MLB start this past weekend against the Reds as a replacement in the rotation for Johan Oviedo, who was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. Though he was limited to 56 pitches in his outing versus Cincinnnati, Ashcraft was effective during his time on the mound, striking out five while allowing five baserunners over 3.1 innings. He'll be rewarded with a second turn through the rotation this weekend, and Ashcraft could push his pitch count up to the 65-to-80 range now that he's on a starter's schedule. Whether Ashcraft will be stick around in the rotation for the rest of the season is still unclear; Friday marks the first day that prospects who are called up for the first time in 2025 won't be able to exceed 45 days of service time, which will keep them eligible for 2026 Rookie of the Year Award consideration. With that in mind, prized pitching prospect Bubba Chandler could soon get called up from Triple-A to make his MLB debut, and Ashcraft may move back to the bullpen to accommodate him.
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Pirates' Braxton Ashcraft: Starting Saturday
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Pirates manager Don Kelly said that Ashcraft will start Saturday's game against the Reds, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.
Ashcraft will be making his second start of the season after posting a 3.24 ERA and 1.38 WHIP across 33.1 innings with the Pirates while primarily serving as a middle reliever. The 25-year-old righty had been starting at Triple-A Indianapolis before being called up in late May, but since then, he's maxed out at three innings at the big-league level on three occasions. Additionally, Ashcraft will be taking the mound on three days' rest, so the Pirates are unlikely to let the right-hander work deep enough into Saturday's start to qualify for a win. With a strong showing against the Reds, Ashcraft could stick around in the rotation on a more permanent basis.
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Pirates' Braxton Ashcraft: Earns win in relief
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Ashcraft (2-0) was the pitcher of record in Saturday's 9-2 win over the Mets after allowing one earned run on five hits and no walks while striking out two across 2.2 innings of relief.
After making a three-inning start in his first MLB start during Monday's win over the Brewers, Ashcraft shifted back to the bullpen this weekend. He entered Saturday's contest in the top of the second inning following a lengthy rain delay, relieving starter Bailey Falter. Ashcraft wasn't especially dominant Saturday and induced only five swinging strikes on his 52 pitches, but he largely worked his way out of trouble in both the third and fourth frames. The right-hander is likely to serve as a multi-inning reliever for Pittsburgh moving forward.
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Pirates' Braxton Ashcraft: Goes three frames in first start
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Ashcraft did not factor into the decision in Monday's 5-4 win at Milwaukee, allowing one hit and no walks over three scoreless innings with two strikeouts.
The 25-year-old rookie made all seven of his previous appearances out of the bullpen, so he wasn't expected to go deep in this contest. Ashcraft managed to stymy the Brewers lineup across his 35 total pitches, 28 of which were strikes. Prior to being called up May 26, the right-hander had started 10 games for Triple-A Indianapolis, so it is possible that the Pirates are seeking to incorporate Ashcraft into the big league rotation. Through 14.2 total major-league innings, he has pitched to a 1.23 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 12:6 K:BB.
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Pirates' Braxton Ashcraft: Three shutout innings in debut
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Ashcraft allowed two hits and one walk while striking out one across three scoreless relief innings Monday against the Diamondbacks.
Ashcraft was promoted to the majors Monday and immediately made his debut working out of the bullpen. He pitched with the Pirates down by five but managed a scoreless outing and preserved the team's bullpen. Ashcraft may remain in a long-relief role for the time being, but as one of the organization's best prospects, he should have a chance to enter the rotation at some point during the summer.
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Pirates' Braxton Ashcraft: Facing hitters in camp
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Ashcraft (forearm) threw a live batting practice session Monday, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Ashcraft closed last season on Triple-A Indianapolis' 7-day injured list due to a forearm injury, but fortunately for the 25-year-old right-hander -- who previously had Tommy John surgery in 2021 -- he appears to have had a normal offseason and is restriction-free during camp. He'll likely be sent back to Indianapolis to begin the 2025 campaign, but health permitting, Ashcraft should make his MLB debut at some point this summer to join an impressive young Pittsburgh pitching corps that already includes Paul Skenes and Jared Jones and could also feature one of baseball's top pitching prospects in Bubba Chandler.
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Pirates' Braxton Ashcraft: Reinstated from IL
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Ashcraft (forearm) was reinstated from the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Indianapolis, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Ashcraft has been on the Triple-A IL since July 17 with lateral forearm tightness, but he threw a live batting practice earlier this week and has now been cleared to return. The 24-year-old has a combined 2.88 ERA in 72 innings across Double-A and Triple-A.
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Pirates' Braxton Ashcraft: Recovering from forearm injury
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Ashcraft's placement on Triple-A Indianapolis' 7-day injured list July 12 was the result of recurrent symptoms of lateral forearm tightness, MLB.com reports.
After suffering the injury during his July 6 start for Indianapolis, Ashcraft met with Dr. Keith Meister, who had previously performed the right-hander's Tommy John surgery in 2021. Fortunately for Ashcraft, his latest forearm issue was confirmed to be muscle-related, so the expectation is that he'll be able to recover from the injury with rest and rehab. Ashcraft resumed playing catch in late July and is still hopeful to return to action before the end of the 2024 season.
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Pirates' Braxton Ashcraft: Heads to Triple-A IL
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Triple-A Indianapolis placed Ashcraft on its 7-day injured list July 6 with an unspecified injury.
Ashcraft had previously been placed on Indianapolis' IL on June 28 before being activated July 6, but it's unclear if his latest injury is related to the previous one or a new concern. While the IL stints in quick succession certainly aren't ideal, Ashcraft has otherwise continued to excel when he's been able to take the mound. Over his last 10 outings between Indianapolis and Double-A Altoona, Aschraft has rung up a 1.39 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 59:10 K:BB in 51.2 innings.
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Pirates' Braxton Ashcraft: Sent to minor-league camp
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Pittsburgh optioned Ashcraft to minor-league camp Monday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.
Ashcraft, 24, allowed two unearned runs with a 3:2 K:BB over 3.2 frames this spring. The right-hander pitched well after making it back from Tommy John surgery last season, holding a 2.39 ERA and 63:11 K:BB over 52.2 innings across three levels. He'll likely open the 2024 campaign at either Double-A Altoona or Triple-A indianapolis.
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Pirates' Braxton Ashcraft: Joins 40-man roster
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The Pirates selected Ashcraft to their 40-man roster Tuesday.
Ashcraft spent time at Single-A, High-A and Double-A last season, logging a 2.39 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 63 strikeouts and 10 walks across 52.2 innings between the three levels. While Ashcraft's stats are certainly impressive across the board, the 24-year-old starter has yet to pitch more than 53 innings in a season.
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Pirates' Braxton Ashcraft: Strong return season
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Ashcraft finished the year on the development list at Double-A Altoona after logging a 1.35 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 23 strikeouts in 20 innings over eight appearances for the Curve.
The 6-foot-5 righty finished the year with 52.2 innings across Single-A, High-A and Double-A before essentially getting shut down with the development-list placement Aug. 11. It was his first healthy season since undergoing Tommy John surgery in July 2021. Ashcraft will need to show he can handle a starter's workload over a full season, but he flashed a high ceiling and powerful arsenal in a successful 2023 campaign.
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Pirates' Braxton Ashcraft: Undergoes Tommy John surgery
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Ashcraft underwent Tommy John surgery last week, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Ashcraft last pitched for High-A Greensboro on July 21 and presumably suffered damage to his UCL in that outing. The procedure will end his 2021 campaign, and it will likely hold him out for most of 2022 as well. The right-hander posted a 5.35 ERA with a 41:12 K:BB across 10 starts with Greensboro this season.
