The Pittsburgh Pirates made some minor league moves on Thursday afternoon for their two clubs in West Virginia. Casey Hughston returned to the Power after a stint in Extended Spring Training. Logan Sendelbach was added to the roster as well. Julio Vivas and Billy Roth were assigned to Morgantown to make room for the two players.
Hughston was in a horrible slump during his time in West Virginia earlier this season. In 34 games, he had a .147/.225/.240 slash line, with 51 strikeouts in 129 at-bats. The 2015 third round pick went down to Extended Spring Training (EST) to work on his swing in a more controlled environment.
Sendelbach was assigned to EST after his last start, though that was just a paper move and he never left the Power. He was activated in time to make his next start tomorrow.
Billy Roth has been pitching out of the bullpen for the Power, after serving as a starter since the Pirates drafted him in 2013. He can hit mid-90s with his fastball, but he had major control issues this season, walking 20 batters in 17 innings. Last year, he had 23 walks in 54.1 innings.
Vivas had two separate stints with the Power, posting a 7.71 ERA over 16.1 innings. He split last year between Bradenton and West Virginia, posting a 2.85 ERA and a .196 BAA in 66.1 innings. Plus he has pitched the last two season in the Venezuelan Winter League against much older competition, so his struggles this season at a low level are hard to explain. He throws low-90s with some deception and usually has decent control, though he’s walked ten batters in his short time this season.
