Pirates starter Gerrit Cole may not be safe when A.J. Burnett is ready to return to the rotation, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
General manager Neal Huntington was noncommittal when asked about the situation. "Gerrit's probably got the best stuff of anybody in the rotation ... (and) he's made three impressive outings. But the challenge is, if we need another starter (due to injury) later, it may make sense to send Gerrit back so we have a sixth quality starter," Huntington said.
Even if Cole remains in the majors, it's unclear how many innings he'll pitch. Huntigton did not go into detail when asked about an innings limit, saying the team would employ a "scientifically based plan."
Through three starts in the majors, Cole has a 3.44 ERA.