The Pittsburgh Pirates have claimed left-handed pitcher Wei-Chung Wang from the Oakland A’s. The 27-year-old, who was originally signed by the Pirates as an international free agent, was designated for assignment on Thursday.
Wang was a rule 5 draft by the Milwaukee Brewers from the Pirates in 2013. He was eligible for the draft because his original deal with the Pirates was voided due to an injury that was discovered after he signed. Despite only having experience in the GCL, the Brewers kept him on their roster for the 2014 season and the results went as you would expect, with very poor stats in limited use. Since that point, Wang made it back to the majors in 2017 with the Brewers, again with very poor results in limited work. He missed all of 2018, then saw his first big league success this year with the A’s, posting a 3.33 ERA in 27 innings over 20 appearances, with a .227 BAA, a 1.22 WHIP and a 16:11 SO/BB ratio.
To make room on the 40-man roster, Gregory Polanco was moved to the 60-day injured list.
