Pirates Hold Onto Santana Amid Bullpen Struggles | Pittsburgh Pirates News

The Pirates are making a bold move by calling up Antwone Kelly and Thomas Harrington to strengthen their pitching staff, but they’re holding onto struggling reliever Dennis Santana — despite his poor performance and the team’s shaky bullpen. Once a reliable closer with a 2.18 ERA in 2025, Santana’s been a liability this season, surrendering more runs than all of last year. Manager Don Kelly even claims his stuff improved after a recent loss — but the writing’s on the wall. With Gregory Soto now closing and the bullpen’s defense still a glaring weakness, keeping Santana might be a costly delay. The Pirates need aggressive fixes — or they’ll keep falling short of postseason contention. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/7eef568a3baabf4d