​The Pittsburgh Pirates’ starting rotation has been one of the team’s central storylines during the second half of the season, for better or for worse.The position group was once again in the spotlight on Thursday evening ahead of their matchup against the Chicago White Sox, as the team announced that one of their All-Star pitchers is set to miss a significant amount of time.The Pirates are placing Braxton Ashcraft on the 15-day injured list with right arm discomfort, retroactive to September 7. Manager Don Kelly said ahead of Thursday’s game that there are no indications of structural issues, but the team is still working to gather more details on the extent of the injury.That said, considering where the calendar stands, this injury will almost certainly end Ashcraft’s 2026 season prematurely. At this point, Pittsburgh should be hoping it isn’t severe enough to impact the beginning of 2027, too.Aug 24, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcraft (35) delivers during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn ImagesAshcraft has had a tremendous first season as a full-time starting pitcher, logging a 3.65 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP in 28 starts, including a 25.9 percent strikeout rate and a 37 percent chase rate. In an up-and-down year for the Pirates, the pitcher has been a consistent bright spot. There was no indication that Ashcraft was dealing with any sort of pain the last time he was on the mound, last Saturday. He threw five innings of three-run baseball against the Los Angeles Angels and even struck out nine batters in that outing. The Pirates have a lot to figure out about how they’ll manage the pitching staff for the rest of the season. The team was already short one arm in the rotation with Mitch Keller on the injured list, forcing Pittsburgh to use several bullpen games over the last few weeks.Relying on the relievers to cover two missing spots in the rotation is an impossible and unfair task. For now, the Pirates have recalled Antwone Kelly from Triple-A, who begins his fifth stint with the team this year. He owns a 5.40 ERA over four games. The right-hander’s calling card is his fastball, which averages 99.2 mph.Kelly is more depth to have in the bullpen in the short term, but the Pirates must still figure out who will take Ashcraft’s spot in the rotation for the remaining few weeks of the season. Pittsburgh still has a slim chance of reaching the postseason. That road just got much more difficult, though, with the Pirates losing one of their best starting pitchers.