After hurdles, Bucs pitcher makes MLB debut

This story was excerpted from Justice delos Santos’ Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Drew Maggi wasn’t the only rookie who experienced his magic moment on Saturday.

Cody Bolton, a 24-year-old right-hander from Tracy, Calif., made his Major League debut on Saturday during the backend of the doubleheader against the Nationals. He pitched two scoreless innings with a strikeout with family on site to see his big moment.

“Just a lot of joy,” Bolton said. “All the hard work has paid off. There’s still a lot more hard work to come. A lot of joy and happiness.”

If not for circumstances, Bolton’s debut may have come a couple of years earlier. After missing the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bolton missed the 2021 season because of a season-ending meniscus injury. Missing two full seasons was difficult to navigate, but Bolton made the most of his circumstances.

The time away from baseball allowed Bolton to improve his physical condition. In 2021, Bolton weighed about 230 pounds, but over the last two years, Bolton has been down to about 215 pounds.

Bolton kept the formula simple: he watched what he ate and turned up the intensity of his workouts. Bolton credits the rehab staff and his father, Scott, for helping him navigate through the tough times. Scott provided words of encouragement for Cody, reminding his son to keep his head up and that he will have opportunities when healthy.

“During those times, it was tough,” Bolton said. “It was a bummer to miss the ’21 season. It’s kind of a blessing for me because I was able to re-vamp my body, get it to where it needs to be. Saw that work that I put in while I was injured.”

Bolton was drafted out of Tracy High School as a starter in 2017 but, last season, he pitched in a hybrid role, appearing in 30 games and making 14 starts. Despite the layoff, Bolton posted a 3.09 ERA and 3.81 FIP across 75 2/3 innings. This season, Bolton has transitioned from the hybrid role into relieving full-time. The early returns have been encouraging; across 11 1/3 innings with Indianapolis, Bolton had a 2.38 ERA and 1.76 FIP with 14 strikeouts before earning his first call-up.

“Last year, we were kind of testing the waters with [relieving] because I had been a starter for so many years,” Bolton said. “They wanted me to get the feeling of it. Coming into spring this year, we discussed one-and two-inning stints. … They believe that’s going to be a really good role for me to help the team out."

Bolton has come to appreciate the rush that comes with being in the bullpen. Instead of having a regular five-day routine, Bolton knows his name can be called at any moment. As a reliever, he’s no longer worried about his pitch count, about seeing a hitter multiple times. Now, he can go after hitters from the start.

After one relief outing during Spring Training, Bolton couldn’t sleep until about 1:30 in the morning because he was still experiencing the rush.

“It’s a different kind of adrenaline rush,” Bolton said. “As a starter, you know which day you’re going to pitch. As a reliever, your name can be called on any day. I’m starting to like it quite a bit.”

With his debut out of the way, Bolton might be here to stay. With right-hander Wil Crowe being transferred from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list, Bolton stands to slide into Crowe’s spot as a lower-leverage, multi-inning reliever.

“He’s a guy that started before and we moved him into a functional reliever role,” said manager Derek Shelton. “We like his stuff; he deserves to be here. He pitched well in Indy. We were able to see two really good innings.”