The Pittsburgh Pirates activated pitcher Duane Underwood Jr. from the 10-day injured list on Thursday night, shortly before game time. To make room on the 26-man roster, pitcher Max Kranick has been optioned to Indianapolis.
Underwood Jr pitched just one game for the Pirates this year before going on the injured list with a hamstring strain. He allowed a hit (and run) to the only batter he faced back on April 7th in the season opener. He has pitched four rehab games since then, seeing time with three different affiliates. He allowed one run in 4.2 innings during those games.
Kranick has pitched five shutout innings for the Pirates over two appearances this season, allowing three hits and three walks, with four strikeouts.
Check our Game Discussion post for the other moves from today.
+ postsJohn started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball.
When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.
Picked up where he left off…
It sure seems like an equal trade…Nah just kidding…
Might be getting ahead of myself but given the front office’s relatively recent moves, maybe Underwood doesn’t get such a long runway. One thing I have never understood is why BC has accumulated so many fringe guys who can’t be optioned. If they’re undercooked but have 2 options, fine. If they’re out of options but are at least passable, fine. But the dudes who stink on ice AND you can’t option them – I’m looking at you, De Jong – what’s the point?
I think they have been happy with what they saw from Kranick and do want him to get starts in Indianapolis. He should be up in 10 days and maybe he will get a shot in the rotation. Underwood define fungible middle reliever.
Since Kranick isn’t available it makes sense, other than that not so much.
I think they want to get him stretched out as a starter, but yes, he wasn’t going to pitch this series and Underwood could pitch twice, so it makes some sense short-term