Along with the moves that were announced earlier today, the Pittsburgh Pirates have also outrighted left handed pitcher Aaron Thompson to AAA Indianapolis. This is the second time Thompson has been outrighted off of the 40-man roster, which means he can elect to be a free agent, rather than accepting the assignment. The move opens a 6th spot on the 40-man roster. The 40-man roster/payroll projection has been updated with the move.
I originally had Thompson on the 40-man roster in my projection. The move isn’t a big surprise, as he profiles as a middle reliever in the majors. However, I’d like to see the Pirates keep him around, just because he adds left handed depth to the bullpen out of AAA.