With bullpen strain mounting, Pirates have a clear internal option in Justin Meis

The Pittsburgh Pirates have reached a point in the season where the bullpen is no longer just a concern, it is a planning problem. With relievers needed for the late innings, teams often end up trading for help, and the Pirates are reportedly searching the market. Still, one practical alternative is already in the organization: right-hander Justin Meis, a pitcher who is familiar with Pittsburgh’s ballpark environment and has been producing at Triple-A.

Meis’s case rests on recent form and role flexibility. According to Pirates prospect coverage, he has posted a 3.00 ERA with a 1.03 WHIP across 30 appearances this season in Triple-A Indianapolis. The same coverage also points to strong run prevention against hitters, noting opponents have managed only a.149 batting average against him. He has struck out 27 batters over 30 innings, and his ability to adjust speeds is part of why he has been effective in relief rather than only as a one-inning option.

The Pirates’ need is not confined to one niche in the bullpen. Internal reports have described the organization’s shortage as spanning late leverage roles and broader relief needs, including the kind of innings that fall outside of traditional long relief. In practical terms, that is where a multi-inning reliever can matter, because it creates rest for the rest of the staff and gives managers more ways to protect matchups through a game.

There is also a broader deadline context shaping decision-making. The organization has less than two months until the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline, and teams that are active on the bullpen market sometimes cannot complete deals quickly because both sides have price and timing constraints. Coverage of Pittsburgh’s market efforts has referenced that the Pirates are among the more active clubs pursuing bullpen help, including reporting attributed to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The key caveat is that even with interest, a trade requires a partner willing to move and Pittsburgh to agree on terms, which can leave internal performance as the most controllable lever.

Meis is not a random depth call-up. He was a 10th-round draft pick by Pittsburgh in 2021 out of Eastern Michigan, and the organization has given him a track record of improvement across levels. Prior seasons include a strong performance in Double-A Altoona, where he reportedly posted a 2.89 ERA over 62.1 innings in 2025, along with seven holds and seven saves and a.213 opponent average. His development trend is part of why the argument for bringing him up is about more than just short-term relief needs.

The most likely near-term question is how quickly Meis can translate his Triple-A success to MLB hitters and how the Pirates would use him once he is on the roster. The scouting case, as described by Pirates-focused coverage, is built around him being a converted starter who has found success in relief and who can handle either one-inning bursts or longer stretches when needed. In the bullpen economy, that flexibility can be valuable even if it is not a perfect solution for every inning.

If Pittsburgh decides to move, the move would also function as a roster message. A call-up of a local system reliever can address immediate innings while also testing a pitcher’s readiness for the higher-leverage demands of the majors. For fans, it sets up a watch-and-evaluate window, not unlike how managers use spot starts or late-season September auditions, except now it is inside the season’s most swing-prone role group.

For now, the evidence points to a logical need and a plausible option, but not to an official transaction. Until Pittsburgh confirms a roster move, Meis remains a “when” question rather than a “done deal,” and the bullpen could still look outward if the trade market produces an agreement that fits both the Pirates’ price and the other club’s willingness to sell.