The Pittsburgh Pirates made a series of roster moves on Tuesday.
They optioned left-handed reliever Doug Slaten and infielder Matt Hague to Triple-A Indianapolis. The club added infielder Drew Sutton to the active roster and selected the contract of catcher Eric Fryer from Triple-A Indy. They also designated left-hander Daniel Moskos for assignment to add Fryer to the 40-man roster.
Slaten posted a 2.77 ERA over 13.0 innings of relief since joining the club in late May. Slaten tossed two innings in the Pirates loss on Monday and allowed a run on a hit, three walks and three strikeouts.
Hague has appeared in 28 games this season with Pittsburgh where he’s hit for a .235/.278/.265 line. Since his second recall from Triple-A on May 25, Hague has made just two starts over the last 10 games (both as the designated hitter) primarily serving as a bench/pinch-hitter.
Pittsburgh reclaimed Sutton on Sunday afternoon off waivers from Tampa Bay. He was added to the 40-man roster when the team transferred Charlie Morton (Tommy John Surgery) to the 60-day disabled list. Sutton began the season with Triple-A Gwinnett, where he hit .270 with 10 doubles, two triples, 15 RBI and 19 runs scored in 38 games before being acquired by Pittsburgh on May 20. He was then traded to Tampa Bay the next day, in order to give him the opportunity to play at the big league level. Sutton hit .271 with four doubles and six RBI in 18 games with the Rays before being designated for assignment on Friday.
Fryer was added as an emergency catcher due to an injury to Rod Barajas. Barajas exited the Pirates game on Monday after the first inning due to a left knee bruise on a close play at the plate with Jimmy Rollins.
Fryer hit for a .167/.220/.219 line over 114 at-bats at Triple-A Indianapolis this season. Fryer made his Major League debut with Pittsburgh last season and hit .269 over 10 games.
Moskos posted a 3.86 ERA over 14.0 innings at Triple-A this season. He missed nearly a month due to an elbow injury. The former first round pick (fourth overall) in 2007 made his Major League debut with Pittsburgh in 2011 and posted a 2.96 ERA over 24.1 innings.
