The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Saturday afternoon that right-handed pitchers Dovydas Neverauskas and Tyler Glasnow have been optioned to Indianapolis. They haven’t announced the corresponding moves, but we reported here last night that right-handed pitchers Edgar Santana and A.J. Schugel are on their way to Pittsburgh. A move will have to still be made to open up a 40-man roster spot for Santana before he can be added to the active roster.
Glasnow has struggled in the starting rotation this year, including a poor performance last night against the Miami Marlins. In 12 starts, he has a 7.45 ERA and a 1.91 WHIP, while allowing 12 homers and 29 walks in 54.1 innings. Opponents are hitting .326 against him. The 23-year-old Glasnow had some difficulties in his limited time in 2016 as well, posting a 4.24 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP, while dealing with high pitch counts that limited his innings.
The Pirates got good use out of Neverauskas this time up, going to him twice in two days, including two innings last night. He will be back at some point this season, but he still has some command issues to work on before he’s a regular in the bullpen. The addition of Santana and Schugel will help a bullpen that has been overused this season due to poor starting pitching. Santana should be considered a permanent move, while Schugel could be here just for the weekend, as Jameson Taillon is now scheduled to start on Monday for the Pirates.
UPDATE 2:15 PM: The moves have been made official. Pat Light was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Santana. Light has a 3.76 ERA in 26.1 innings over 22 appearances, with 20 strikeouts, a .242 BAA, a 1.44 WHIP and a 1.89 GO/AO ratio.
Santana has a 1.93 ERA in 32.2 innings, with 31 strikeouts, a .220 BAA, a 1.01 WHIP and a 1.33 GO/AO ratio. More on his career soon on the site.
Schugel started off rough this season, but has rebounded recently with a 1.20 ERA in his last ten appearances. On the season he has a 4.20 ERA in 30 innings, with 29 strikeouts, a 1.33 WHIP, a 1.60 GO/AO ratio and a .261 BAA.
