The Pirates recalled Mears from Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Starting pitcher Luis Ortiz was optioned to Triple-A to open up a spot on the 28-man active roster for Mears, who will be available out of the bullpen over the Bucs' final three games of the season. Mears has missed most of the season while recovering from arthroscopic elbow surgery, but he's been healthy since late July and was pitching regularly out of the Triple-A bullpen prior to his promotion. Over his final nine outings at Triple-A, Mears allowed three runs (two earned) and struck out nine over 12.1 innings.