Carmen Mlodzinski: Everything you need to know

Mlodzinski notched a save against the Astros on Thursday, allowing one run on four hits and no walks while striking out three batters over four innings. Mlodzinski made his first appearance since he was moved out of the rotation and subsequently had a short stay on the restricted list. The right-hander followed Jared Jones, who pitched five scoreless innings, and tossed 55 pitches (36 strikes), with the only run against him coming on an Isaac Paredes solo homer. Mlodzinski notched the second save of his career (and first since 2023), but it's unlikely that he'll be in line for many additional save opportunities. He may continue to piggyback with Jones while the latter eases up his pitch count.

The Pirates activated Mlodzinski from the restricted list Monday, Jason Mackey of MLB.com reports. Mlodzinski's stay on the restricted list lasted 24 hours after he expressed frustration following his removal from the Pirates' rotation with the activation of Jared Jones from the injured list this past weekend. Mlodzinski is now putting his feelings aside and said Monday that he's willing to do whatever he can to help the team, as he's now going to come out of the Pittsburgh bullpen. The right-hander's stuff (92 Stuff+) has graded well below average this season as a starter. He's also given up a ton of hard contact with a second-percentile hard-hit rate of 50.9 percent. Mlodzinski was more effective as a reliever and spot starter prior to 2026.

The Pirates placed Mlodzinksi on the restricted list Sunday. The official reasoning for the move hasn't been disclosed, but it's unlikely to be a coincidence that it comes just a few days after Mlodzinski was bumped from the starting rotation to the bullpen. The right-hander has a 3.76 ERA across 55 innings this season, though his 1.42 WHIP and 46:20 K:BB paint a less encouraging picture of his performance.