Morning Rundown: Braxton Ashcraft makes AAA debut, Jose Hernandez traded to Dodgers

Ashcraft pitches for Indianapolis, Pirates make a trade.

Jun 14, 2024

After starting the year in Altoona, right-handed pitcher Braxton Ashcraft made his Triple-A debut on Thursday.

Facing the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, Ashcraft pitched six innings, allowing one run on three hits while striking out four.

He needed just 72 pitches, 47 of which went for strikes. He mixed in a fastball, slider, curveball, and change-up, getting eight whiffs on 36 swings.

One of the biggest questions about Ashcraft was whether he would be able to maintain his stuff now that he was pitching deeper into games. His last two pitches were fastballs (clocked in at 96.6 and 96.4 mph), with each getting whiffs.

Ashcraft relied on his fastball in the start, averaging 96.1 mph with the pitch. The only pitch that didn’t grade out at least average was the change-up.

To make room for Dennis Santana, the Pirates designated Jose Hernandez for assignment. Late Thursday they announced that they traded Hernandez to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for cash considerations.

Hernandez, 26, had pitched in seven games for the Pirates this season, posting a 3.38 ERA in 5.1 innings pitched. He had pitched seldomly as of late while in the majors, was optioned, and then DFAd.

After getting selected in the Rule 5 draft last year, Hernandez spent the entire year with the Pirates in 2024, having some strong moments.

The Pirates dropped the series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday. A Brendan Donovan home run in the sixth canceled out a rally made by the Pirates. Oneil Cruz drove in a pair of runs, giving him 28 on the season.

Mitch Keller allowed four runs on eight hits while striking out four across six innings. A pair of home runs ended up being the difference and snapped his six-start winnings streak.

With it now coming out that Paul Skenes’ next start will be pushed back a day, the Pirates will need to find out what they are doing with two of their rotation spots in their upcoming series against the Rockies.

Later today, we will release our midseason update for our top 25 prospects in the Pirates’ system.

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