The Pittsburgh Pirates have claimed left-handed reliever Enny Romero off waivers from the Washington Nationals, the team announced. The move comes a day after the team optioned Josh Smoker to Indianapolis, leaving the big league club with no lefty relievers in middle relief.
Romero doesn’t look like more of a guarantee than Smoker. He has very limited success in the majors, and has control issues. However, he has mid-90s velocity and a lot of strikeouts, making him appealing.
The Pirates are thin in their system at left-handed relief, so taking a chance on Romero makes sense. He will have up to 72 hours to report to the club, at which point the team will make a corresponding 25-man roster move.
