Could Cole injury expedite Tyler Glasnow to majors?

With Gerrit Cole on his way to the disabled list, could Tyler Glasnow arrive in the majors sooner than expected?

Yesterday, the Pirates announced that Gerrit Cole was being placed on the 15-day disabled list, and Jameson Taillon would start in his stead on Wednesday night.

OFFICIAL: RHP Jameson Taillon has been recalled from Indy and RHP Gerrit Cole has been placed on the 15-Day DL with a right triceps strain.

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 14, 2016

Whether this injury will end up keeping Cole out long-term or not is uncertain at the moment. Cole had been pitching well this season so far, to the tune of a 2.77 ERA, but he had allowed three runs in each of the two starts before he was lifted early against St. Louis on June 10th in his last outing. Maybe this injury just recently started affecting his performance, and maybe he will return after missing just two or three starts. But he has missed time before, and arm injuries are always scary. If he does miss extended time, would the Pirates consider calling up Tyler Glasnow sooner than they anticipated?

Jameson Taillon is clearly the first man up for the Pirates, and he’s taking Cole’s spot in the rotation for the time being. But if the Pirates want to contend, they can’t keep both Juan Nicasio and Jeff Locke in the rotation for much longer. Nicasio moving to the pen would benefit both the pen and the rotation. He’s better suited there. Could the Pirates call up Steven Brault or Chad Kuhl? Possibly. Would they trade for a starter at the deadline at a small cost like they did they last season? Possibly. But the option with the highest upside is likely calling up Tyler Glasnow.

If Cole were healthy, Glasnow was likely looking at a September call-up at best. His walk rate in Triple-A has jumped up to 4.6 BB/9 after he started off the year with a much lower walk rate. The team also feels that Glasnow has to work on his change-up and his secondary offerings. But on the flip side, regardless of these concerns, Glasnow has continued to dominate, to the tune of a 1.90 ERA and 10.9 K/9. He continues to baffle batters at the plate while control remains a concern. He’s pitched over 450 innings in the minors, and while, ideally, he would spend the rest of the season at Triple-A to work out some kinks and to avoid becoming Super-Two eligible, injuries may force the Pirates hand.

If Cole is out long-term, I think Glasnow should be called up sooner rather than later. The Super-Two deadline is essentially passed at this point, and Glasnow has such a high upside to be kept down in the minors for much longer. He and Taillon could be keys to pushing the Pirates into the playoffs this year. If they both work out, the Pirates may not need to trade for a starter at the deadline, and their bullpen could get better with Nicasio in a middle relief role. Whether the Pirates actually call up Glasnow sooner than they expected to remains to be seen, and a lot of that is dependent on what we hear about Cole in the coming days and weeks.

Image Credit – Daniel Decker Photography

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