According to Jon Paul Morosi, the Pittsburgh Pirates have claimed outfielder Xavier Paul, who was recently designated for assignment by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Paul is a left handed hitting outfielder who is 5′ 9″, and 205 pounds.
In his 146 at-bat career with the Dodgers, he has a .233/.280/.329 line, which includes a 3-for-11 line this year. The 26 year old has a career .320/.380/.502 line in 787 at-bats in the hitter friendly Pacific Coast League.
Paul is out of options, which means he will have to be on the 25-man roster. It is likely that he will replace either John Bowker or Steve Pearce on the roster. Pearce would be the most likely candidate, since he is hitting .238/.304/.238 this season, and has an option remaining. Bowker is out of options, and is hitting for a .250/.294/.313 line. That doesn’t mean Bowker wouldn’t be the odd-man out, as he and Paul would basically be filling the same role as a left handed outfield bat off the bench.
The Pirates also need to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Paul, although that can be accomplished by removing someone like Chris Leroux.
UPDATE 2:38 PM: To make room for Paul on the 40-man roster, the Pirates have transferred Scott Olsen to the 60-day disabled list, according to Colin Dunlap. To me, this makes it more likely that Paul will replace Steve Pearce on the 25-man roster. The 40-man roster and payroll page is updated.
