Mike Burrows News: Not making start this week

Pirates manager Don Kelly said that Burrows won't make a start during this weekend's series versus the Red Sox but should be available in relief, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Burrows tossed four shutout innings in his most recent start Saturday to lower his ERA to 4.23, but Kelly said the right-hander's turn through the rotation this week will be skipped in an effort to manage his workload. After being limited to 54.2 innings in 2024 following April 2023 Tommy John surgery, Burrows has already doubled that total in 2025 between his stops with Pittsburgh and Triple-A Indianapolis. The Pirates haven't yet discussed shutting him down for the season, but the team's workload management plan could result in him missing another start or two in September. Burrows could also be deployed as a tandem starter with fellow rookie Bubba Chandler, who has covered four innings in each of his first two MLB relief appearances while piggybacking Graham Ashcraft and Carmen Mlodzinski.