In a surprising move, the Pirates optioned closer David Bednar to Triple-A Indianapolis to clear a spot for Harrington on the active roster. Catcher Jason Delay was designated for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot.

The 36th overall pick in the 2022 Draft, Harrington compiled a 2.61 ERA over 117 1/3 innings with 115 strikeouts and only 19 walks across three levels of the Minors last year. He did most of his work at Double-A Altoona, where he posted a 2.24 ERA with 74 K’s and 10 walks in 68 1/3 frames.

Harrington didn’t see a lot of game action in Spring Training; he got most of his work done on back fields instead. But he was in the running for the No. 5 spot in the Pirates’ rotation up until the final days of camp. That competition was won by right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski, who made his first start of the season Monday against the Rays.

Harrington, 23, possesses a wide pitch arsenal and gets the most out of it with his 60-grade control. His four-seam fastball tops out at 95 mph, and he complements his heater with a slider, a splitter and a cutter that all rate as above-average offerings by MLB Pipeline.