The Pittsburgh Pirates will shut down starting pitcher Chris Archer for the remainder of the 2019 season, general manager Neal Huntington announced on Sunday:
Chris Archer will be shut down for the rest of the season, Neal Huntington says.
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) September 15, 2019
Archer has not pitched since Aug. 20, landing on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. Through 23 starts, he had compiled a 3-9 record with a 5.19 ERA and a 4.1 BB/9 ratio.
The Pirates surprised the baseball community by trading top prospects Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows to the Tampa Bay Rays in order to acquire Archer at the trade deadline last July. While both Glasnow and Meadows have been key contributors for the Rays, Archer has had his worst season as a professional.
Archer was one of the brightest young arms in the game in Tampa Bay. In his first full season with the club in 2013, Archer posted a 3.22 ERA in 23 starts. Two seasons later, Archer made the All-Star team, making 34 starts and tossing 212 innings while posting a 3.23 ERA and 10.7 K/9. Archer finished fifth in American League Cy Young voting that season.
However, Archer has struggled to regain that form since the second half of 2017, and he has not posted a sub-4.00 ERA since 2015. The Pirates gambled on Archer last July given that he was a controllable asset that could possibly help the team make a playoff run, but the move has not had the desired effect.
Pittsburgh has had one of the worst starting rotations in baseball this season. Bucs starters ranked 21st in fWAR and 26th in ERA entering play on Sunday, and the Pirates have been one of the worst teams in baseball since the All-Star break.
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