Pirates call up Antwone Kelly for major league debut against Marlins

Antwone Kelly’s fastball climb and recent relief work at Indianapolis were enough to push him to Pittsburgh, and now the Pirates are handing the 22-year-old Aruba native his first shot in the majors. The No. 7 prospect in the organization was called up for a bullpen role and was expected to debut against the Miami Marlins at PNC Park, a promotion that says as much about Kelly’s readiness as it does about the state of Pittsburgh’s relief corps.

Kelly did not force the issue with one dominant month, but he showed the kind of late-run stability clubs look for when they need help fast. He posted a 3.28 ERA over his last 10 appearances for Triple-A Indianapolis, and he worked out of the bullpen in his final two outings. That mattered. The Pirates did not bring him up to keep stretching him as a starter. They brought him up because his stuff and recent form suggested he could survive in shorter bursts right away.

The raw stuff has been the selling point all season. Kelly’s fastball has sat around 97 mph and has reached 100-plus mph 17 times in 2026, a number that explains why his profile has been rising since a velocity jump helped him move through the system. At 5-foot-10 and 238 pounds, he is built more like a power arm than a finesse project, and Pittsburgh is betting that shape plays in the majors out of the bullpen, where his fastball can do more damage in one- and two-inning looks.

Kelly’s Triple-A line was uneven on the surface, with a 4.50 ERA in 13 appearances, including 10 starts, over 54 innings, but the trend line was better than the season number. He struck out 47 batters in Indianapolis, carried a 1.48 WHIP, and logged a 3.60 ERA in May. He also has a national-team résumé, having represented Team Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic and allowed two runs in three innings.

The Pirates cleared room by optioning Brandan Bidois, who gave them 12 relief appearances after being recalled on May 12 and was tagged for 11 runs, six earned, in 13.1 innings. That is the clearest sign in this move: Pittsburgh needed a more live arm, and Kelly’s next step came because the bullpen needed one.