Bryan

Bullington

Bullington was 5-1 with a 1.39 ERA in eight starts for Hickory. In 45 1/3 innings, he allowed 25 hits, 11 walks and struck out 46.

Bullington is 5-3 with a 4.25 ERA with Double-A Altoona this season. Cortes, an outfielder, is batting .302 with 17 doubles, one triple, four home runs and 32 RBI for Single-A Lynchburg.

In his past seven starts for Class AAA Indianapolis, he is 4-1 with a 1.93 earned run average, 41 strikeouts and nine walks in 42 innings.

Bullington, who had shoulder surgery in October, has been playing soft-toss three times per week. He will play winter ball this year and hopes to be 100 percent for spring training.

The 29-year-old former top pick went 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA and 31/12 K/BB rate in 42 innings for Omaha. It’s unlikely, however, that he will resurrect his disappointing major league career. Bullington is 0-5 with a 5.08 career ERA and 1.56 career WHIP in 13 career big league appearances. He’ll provide bullpen depth in KC.

Bullington spent only nine days in the big leagues this time around and allowed four earned runs in three innings. The right-hander has a 1.74 career WHIP and a 5.57 career ERA in 42 major league innings.

The Pirates chose Paul Maholm over Bullington earlier, but they still might give the first overall pick in the 2002 draft a start or two this month. He’ll likely compete for a rotation spot next spring.

Oliver Perez is now scheduled to start Sunday and Ian Snell will get the ball on Monday.

Bullington is day-to-day with a tired shoulder. He could see minimal work out of Pittsburgh’s bullpen in the final week, but consider healthier, more reliable options.

Bullington could pick up a baseball in mid-January, but he likely won’t resume working in games until June. It’s possible that he won’t see the majors again until September.