Reliever Josh Wall has been added to the Pirates’ bullpen for Wednesday’s game. Shortstop Pedro Florimon has been designated for assignment.
Wall has 15 games over Major League experience over three season(2012-14) with no success at all. He has a 15.15 ERA in 13.2 innings, with a 2.56 WHIP. For Indianapolis this year, he has a 2.93 ERA in 30.2 innings, with a 1.01 WHIP and 29 strikeouts.
The Pirates have used their bullpen a lot over the last five days, with three extra inning games. Last night, five relievers combined on eight innings. On Saturday, six relievers combined on 6.2 innings. Wall will likely be a short-term fill-in, who may be forced into long relief today or tomorrow if he is needed. When Josh Harrison is ready to return from the disabled list, he will likely take Wall’s spot.
Florimon went 2-for-19 in 15 games for the Pirates, making three starts at shortstop.
UPDATE 6:02 PM: Update from Pete Ellis at PNC Park…
The harsh nature of professional sports reared its ugly head this afternoon when the Pirates designated last night’s hero, Pedro Florimon, for assignment in order to make room for RHP Josh Wall. As stated above, the bullpen has been overworked over the last five days that has featured 14 and 15-inning affairs. The versatility of Sean Rodriguez and his ability to play an adequate shortstop in a pinch made the DFA of the light-hitting Florimon more feasible. Regardless, Hurdle acknowledged that it was an unfortunate situation, considering the contributions Florimon has given the Pirates over the past five games.
“They are challenging, and I told him the benefit of it for me is I’m glad we are having a hard conversation,” Hurdle said. “I’m glad you helped us win the game last night. I’m glad all of your hard work paid off. I was happy to see guys jump up and down on you. I was happy to hug you after the game. Here’s the harder part – here’s the decision we are going to make. Don’t let this diffuse what your plan has been.”
As for Josh Wall, the hard-throwing right-hander was alerted of his promotion last night around 1 a.m. when he was in the process of moving out of his Indianapolis apartment, with the Triple-A season nearing an end.
“I was actually already packing up my car anyway, so I just went over to the field, packed up my stuff and headed over this way,” Wall explained.
Wall is capable of providing the Pirates some length out of the bullpen if needed over the next few games – he threw three innings for Indianapolis three days ago. It is likely that Wall will be replaced by Josh Harrison within the next few days when Harrison completes his rehab assignment.
