PITTSBURGH — Dovydas Neverauskas had a long, unlikely path from Vilnius, Lithuania to the major leagues.
Neverauskas was the first Lithuanian-born players signed by an MLB team when the Pirates inked him as a 16-year-old back in 2009. Most players signed at that age by the Pirates are Dominican or otherwise sent to the team’s Dominican academy to start their playing careers, but Neverauskas came straight to America to begin a three-year tutelage in the Gulf Coast League.
He plodded through the lower levels of the Pirates’ system, putting up a 5.60 ERA in West Virginia 2014 that prompted a move to the bullpen. It was that moved that saved Neverauskas’ prospect status — and likely his baseball career.
But it still took another three seasons before Neverauskas — nearly eligible for minor-league free agency — was added to the 40-man roster and seen as a legitimate contender for the bullpen spot that he finally claimed on Monday.
The Pirates’ bullpen hadn’t been in a good place with Antonio Bastardo’s continued struggles and a few short outings piling up the innings on the remaining arms. When utilityman Adam Frazier had a PRP injection in his strained left hamstring Monday, the team pulled the trigger on bringing Neverauskas to the big leagues for the first time.
For a player whose career seemed to move at a glacial pace, everything has moved quickly since he decided to go suit shopping on Indianapolis’ off day on Monday. He got the call from Indianapolis manager Andy Burkett, setting off a chain reaction that resulted in major-league debut, that while a long time coming, was executed as quickly as possible.
“I was just getting back to my place and packing to leave right away,” he said.
In Pittsburgh, traveling secretary Greg Johnson made arrangements for a flight to Pittsburgh and a car to pick Neverauskas up at the airport. His next call was to clubhouse manager Scott Bonnett. After all, it didn’t matter if Neverauskas got to Pittsburgh in time to play if he didn’t have the proper equipment to take the field.
“For him, it wasn’t so bad because we had him in Spring Training, so I had most of his stuff ready,” Bonnett said. “The only bad thing was that all of [Indianapolis’] stuff had been shipped to Pawtucket.”
While Bonnett went about finding equipment and a uniform, Neverauskas was boarding a plane when he noticed the score of the game. Pirates starter Chad Kuhl was having trouble getting out of the second inning and the Cubs were leading, 9-1.
That’s when the possibility of him getting into the game got a bit real. When Neverauskas got to the ballpark, Williams and Bonnett were waiting with a golf cart to drive him down the tunnel to the clubhouse. It was the sixth inning, and they relayed a message from manager Clint Hurdle.
“As soon as you get out there, start moving around and get a little bit of a sweat going.”
It wasn’t long after Neverauskas first set foot in the bullpen at PNC Park for the first time that he was loosening up to come into the game in the eighth inning.
“By the time I got the cart back from the bullpen, he was in the game,” Bonnett said.
“He gets here on time to pitch and he goes straight to the bullpen,” Hurdle recalled. “He borrows a glove, spikes — nothing’s his — he goes out and makes his major-league debut and handles himself very professionally. It’s really cool.”
Neverauskas was sent back down on Wednesday, with the Pirates looking to re-balance the bench and the bullpen. His first stint in the majors lasted just a whirlwind 48 hours.
When he comes back to Pittsburgh, which seems likely at this point, he’ll have gotten rid of the first-game jitters of his big-league debut and just be able to pitch. While his debut was full of history as the first Lithuanian-born player to pitch in the majors, he’ll also be responsible for a bit of Pirates history, according to Bonnett.
“That was the quickest I’ve ever had a guy come in and get back on the field,” he said.
GIFTED FIELDER
Neverauskas was replaced on the roster by Gift Ngoepe as the Pirates looked to replenish their depleted bench that contained just three people on Tuesday night. The choice of Ngoepe instead of a player like Jason Rogers or Max Moroff signifies that the Pirates are serious about upgrading the defensive potential of their bench players.
“That’s part of the package that we were looking for,” Hurdle said. “We’ll see if we can hunt a start for him along the way and he can back up, depending on game and who’s out there. If Bell’s on first and we get a lead, Gift can go to second, he can go to third in Freese’s absence right now. He can play short and give Jordy a blow as the best defensive upgrade we have in our organization. He fills that void as a defensive guy.”
INJURY UPDATES
Left-handed relief pitcher Antonio Bastardo (left quad strain) will rest until Friday and then be reassessed before beginning to throw again off flat ground. Bastardo will be completing his recovery at Pirate City, with a rehab assignment likely at some point.
Frazier is recovering from a PRP injection in his strained left hamstring and remains on pace to return as soon as he is eligible from the 10-day disabled list.
Third baseman David Freese is day-to-day with tightness in his right hamstring. Freese injured himself when he missed the bag running to first base on Monday.
