Pirates promote Cal Mitchell, Roansy Contreras; Heath Hembree, Daniel Vogelbach to IL

Kevin Gorman | Tuesday, May 24, 2022 10:33 a.m.

Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review

Pirates right fielder Cal Mitchell celebrates his first Major League hit, an RBI single, during the fifth inning against the Rockies on Tuesday at PNC Park.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are addressing their depleted outfield depth by calling up Cal Mitchell, along with right-handed pitcher Roansy Contreras, from Triple-A Indianapolis for Tuesday’s game against the Colorado Rockies.

Contreras will be the Pirates’ starting pitcher and Mitchell will start in right field.

To make room on the 26-man roster for Contreras and Mitchell, the Pirates placed right-handed reliever Heath Hembree (right calf strain) on the 15-day injured list and designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach (left hamstring strain) on the 10-day IL. To clear a 40-man roster spot for Mitchell, lefty reliever Cam Alldred was designated for assignment.

Contreras was 1-0 with a 3.52 ERA, 10 strikeouts and three walks in 72⁄3 innings over three relief appearances for the Pirates before being sent to Indianapolis to stretch out to become a starter. He was 0-1 with a 2.66 ERA, 24 strikeouts and 11 walks in 201⁄3 innings over five starts at Indianapolis.

The 6-foot, 205-pound Mitchell slashed .306/.362/.500 with nine doubles, five home runs, 26 RBIs and six stolen bases in 34 games at Indianapolis this season, making him a prime candidate for a promotion. Mitchell has 11 multi-hit games, including a pair with three hits, this season.

The 23-year-old, who bats and throws left-handed, is ranked the Pirates’ No. 23 prospect by Baseball America and No. 25 by MLB Pipeline. Mitchell was a 2017 second-round pick (No. 50 overall) by the Pirates out of Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego.

The Pirates are down to three outfielders — Ben Gamel, Bryan Reynolds and Jack Suwinski — after injuries sidelined Greg Allen and Jake Marisnick. Pirates manager Derek Shelton has used six different players in right field, including infielders Diego Castillo, Hoy Park and Cole Tucker.