Even though the Pittsburgh Pirates are off on Thursday, the active big league rosters expanded to 28 spots today. The Pirates recalled outfielder Cal Mitchell and pitcher Johan Oviedo to fill those two extra roster spots.
Mitchell has been the best hitter at Indianapolis this year, but he has struggled in his stints with the Pirates. He just finished off a strong month of August, giving him a .339/.391/.547 slash line in 63 games for Indianapolis. With the Pirates, the 23-year-old Mitchell is hitting .204/.241/.336 in 44 games.
Oviedo was acquired from the St Louis Cardinals in the Jose Quintana deal at the trade deadline. He went to Indianapolis, where he had an 0.79 ERA and an 0.91 WHIP in 11.1 innings, with 13 strikeouts. He did well in 25.1 innings with the Cardinals this year, posting a 3.20 ERA, 26 strikeouts and a 1.30 WHIP. He has pitched parts of three seasons in the majors, with his best results coming this season. The 24-year-old right-hander will get the start for the Pirates tomorrow.
