The Pittsburgh Pirates have added right-handed pitcher Jerad Eickhoff to their roster ahead of his start tonight against the Chicago Cubs. He was signed this off-season as a minor league free agent and has spent the year with Triple-A Indianapolis, where he has a 4.84 ERA over six starts and seven relief appearances, totaling 48.1 innings. Despite the high ERA, he has a 1.07 WHIP and a 47:15 SO/BB ratio. He has the fifth best WHIP in the league among pitchers with at least 40 innings pitched.
Eickhoff has plenty of big league experience. The 31-year-old has pitched in parts of six MLB season, including two full season in the starting rotation for the Philadelphia Phillies. Over the 2020-22 seasons, he has pitched just five games in the majors, all in 2021. He has a career 21-32, 4.35 record in 459.2 innings over 80 starts and five relief appearances. He has a 4.62 FIP, a 1.31 WHIP and a 409:136 SO/BB ratio.
To make room on both the 40-man roster and the 26-man roster, the Pirates designated Heath Hembree for assignment. He was a free agent signing this winter, who had a 7.16 ERA and a 1.90 WHIP in 16.1 innings over 20 appearances, with more walks (14) than strikeouts (12).
