Pirates finally call up Bubba Chandler and leave Reds fans burning with envy

The Pittsburgh Pirates are calling up their top prospect, and the Cincinnati Reds' fanbase will soon be demanding the same thing. Bubba Chandler, the No. 1 ranked pitching prospect in all of baseball, will soon be making his Major League debut.

News broke on Wednesday that the Pirates are calling up their top prospect, and the right-hander is slated to make his big league debut on Friday. Chandler has spent the entire 2025 season at the Pirates' Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis, and is 5-6 with a 4.04 ERA and 121 strikeouts in 100 innings pitched. In a bit of an odd twist, however, Chandler will reportedly be pitching out of the Pittsburgh bullpen.

With their division rival now set to unleash one of the top prospects in the sport, Reds fans will begin to clamor (more than they already have) to see Sal Stewart make his MLB debut. Cincinnati's top prospect is currently at Triple-A and has been on fire since his promotion back in July. He's hitting .324/.397/.627 with six home runs and 22 RBI in 27 games with the Louisville Bats.

Pirates finally call up Bubba Chandler and leave Reds fans burning with envy to see Sal Stewart

There may not be a better time for the Reds to make such a move. Though they're squarely in the middle of a playoff chase and trail the New York Mets by only one game in the standings, Cincinnati's offense has been hot and cold throughout the season. Adding Stewart's bat to the equation could bring some much needed pop to Terry Francona's lineup.

Stewart made his first professional start at first base on Tuesday, and has experience playing at both second and third base as well. While some fear that Stewart's defense could be a hindrance at this point in the season, the Reds wouldn't be calling him up for his glove.

If the Reds called up Stewart today, his rookie status would still be intact for the 2026 season. There are some drawbacks to promoting their top prospects to the bigs, but the upside might be far too enticing to pass up. Don't be surprised if Stewart gets the call in the coming days.

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