BRADENTON, Fla. – The Pittsburgh Pirates made two cuts this morning, reassigning right-handed pitchers Guido Knudson and Wilfredo Boscan to minor league camp. Both moves are expected, as neither player would have factored into the Opening Day roster. However, both guys could be used as depth throughout the season.
Knudson is a hard thrower who was acquired this off-season. His fastball hits 94, but he’s dealt with control problems in the upper levels. That’s a common combination for most pitchers the Pirates bring in, with the hope that they can fix their control. In this case, the control will have to be fixed in Triple-A. Best case here is that Knudson could factor in as bullpen depth at some point this season.
Boscan was called up to the majors a few times last year as an emergency pitcher, but was never used. He will probably fit the same role in Indianapolis this year, pitching out of the bullpen in long relief to start the season, possibly moving into the rotation at some point if depth is needed, and coming up to Pittsburgh if an emergency reliever is needed after a few games where the bullpen gets taxed.
