Starter Contreras in the bullpen for now

ST. LOUIS — Deciding to call up Roansy Contreras was the easy part. Not only is he the Pirates’ fifth-best prospect and someone with terrific stuff and a bright future, but he’s the only remaining healthy pitcher on their 40-man roster.

So when Duane Underwood Jr. hit the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain Saturday, the Pirates didn’t hesitate to promote Contreras from Class AAA Indianapolis.

But now what? Although Contreras is very much a starter long term — he hasn’t pitched out of the bullpen since he was a 17-year-old in rookie ball — the Pirates have elected to use the 22-year-old righthander in relief to pick his spots and manage innings.

Contreras appeared in just two games this spring and was slated to start in the minors Saturday, an outing for which he was expected to have a conservative pitch count.

“With the shortened spring training, he’s still building up,” manager Derek Shelton said. “He’s not fully stretched out.”

The good news here is that Contreras should be able to get regular work out of the bullpen, in situations that can be fairly predictable. Because the Pirates do not expect much out of their starting pitchers — five innings is considered a lot — there are plenty of innings to cover on the back end.

Shelton doesn’t expect Contreras to pitch if the Pirates are protecting a onerun, late-game lead, but it’s conceivable to use him as a multi-inning guy piggybacking off that day’s starting pitcher.

The Pirates also can make those plans ahead of time, so Contreras isn’t rushing to get ready or having to cut short his routine.

“It will be more regular with him,” Shelton said. “I don’t know if we’ll specifically set a schedule that he’s going to pitch on certain days, but we will be very mindful of that because of his development and getting him lengthened out is still really important for us.”

Contreras pitched Saturday against the Cardinals, giving up two earned runs in 1⅔ innings.

Contreras had a 2.64 ERA in 13 starts between Class AA Altoona and Class AAA Indianapolis last season, striking out 82 and walking just 13 in 58 innings. MLB Pipeline lists Contreras at No. 71 on its top-100 prospect rankings.

“We’ll just go one or two appearances at a time,”

Shelton said.

Contreras said he wasn’t terribly surprised by the promotion. Speaking through translator Mike Gonzalez, Contreras said he takes pride in being ready for anything.

And although Contreras admitted his experience pitching in relief is limited, he’s also ready to embrace the opportunity.

“No matter how many times you get called to the big leagues, it’s always going to be an emotional event,” Contreras said. “When I got that call, I became emotional. I’m really excited to be here.”

Yajure, too

Although he was here on opening day, Miguel Yajure’s situation isn’t much different than that of Contreras. Talented young starter. Didn’t throw much during spring training. Still really important in the Pirates’ future plans. Will get innings on a development-based plan out of the bullpen.

“It’s very similar [to Contreras],” Shelton said. “There’s still work to do and things we need to be mindful of. We’re going to very thoughtful about when and how he pitches.”

Clemente stickers

Shelton was watching an NFL game this offseason when he noticed a Walter Payton Man of the Year Award sticker on the back of a player’s helmet. That sparked a thought.

“I was like, ‘Why are we not doing this for Roberto?’” Shelton said, talking about Roberto Clemente and the annual award Major League Baseball hands out every year that’s named after the Pirates legend.

Then about three weeks ago, Shelton said he called

Raul Ibanez, a former player and currently MLB’s senior vice president of on-field operations. They discussed the possibility of baseball doing something similar.

With Shelton’s urging — he probably wasn’t the only one — MLB announced recently that all active winners of the Roberto Clemente Award will wear the No. 21 on their caps. Hitters can choose to also have it on their helmets.

The eight players to whom this applies includes former Pirates star Andrew McCutchen, Yadier Molina, Adam Wainwright and Albert Pujols of the Cardinals; Nelson Cruz of the Nationals; Carlos Carrasco of the Mets; Anthony Rizzo of the Yankees; and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers.