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Duke Welker Officially Recalled, Josh Harrison Optioned

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Duke Welker has been officially promoted.
Duke Welker has been officially promoted.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have officially recalled right-handed pitcher Duke Welker. To make room they’ve optioned Josh Harrison to Triple-A. This is Getting Old first reported yesterday that Duke Welker was on his way to Pittsburgh.

Welker has been on the 40-man roster for the last year, and is a legit bullpen prospect. He’s a bit older than most prospects, currently 27 years old, but has the stuff to be a potential late inning reliever. Welker throws in the upper 90s and has hit 100 in the past. He also throws a hard slider which is a plus offering. This year he’s been off to a great start with Indianapolis, throwing 16 innings without an earned run. Welker has allowed three hits in that span, and has a 20:8 K/BB ratio. Control has always been an issue, but he’s made some good strides the last two years, getting his walk rate down to the 4.5 BB/9 range. As long as he has the upper 90s fastball and the plus slider to limit hits and rack up the strikeouts, he can live with the walks.

Tim Williams
Tim Williams
Tim is the owner, producer, editor, and lead writer of PiratesProspects.com. He has been running Pirates Prospects since 2009, becoming the first new media reporter and outlet covering the Pirates at the MLB level in 2011 and 2012. His work can also be found in Baseball America, where he has been a contributor since 2014 and the Pirates' correspondent since 2019.

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