The Pittsburgh Pirates announced that they have claimed 25-year-old right-handed pitcher Edwin Uceta from the Detroit Tigers on Sunday. To make room on the 40-man roster, right-handed pitcher JT Brubaker has been placed on the 60-day Injured List. Uceta has been optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Brubaker was originally placed on the 15-day IL with right elbow discomfort. No word on his progress, but he’s not throwing now, so it’s safe to assume that he wasn’t going to be back within the next two months. It could be much longer, but the Pirates haven’t announced anything.
Uceta has pitched parts of two seasons in the majors, throwing a total of 37.1 innings over 24 appearances with the 2021 Los Angeles Dodgers and 2022 Arizona Diamondbacks. He has a 6.27 ERA, a 4.46 FIP, a 1.39 WHIP and a 19:38 BB/SO ratio.
Uceta has worked as both a starter and a reliever in the minors. He has a 3.92 ERA over 410.2 innings in the minors, with 472 strikeouts and a 1.24 WHIP. Those numbers have been put up while spending time in some very hitter-friendly parks/leagues.
Baseball America ranked him as the Dodgers #24 prospect going into 2021. As a starter, he was sitting 90-92, hitting 94 MPH, with a strong changeup, solid control and a slider that needed work. He has a slight frame and good arm speed, so his stuff should play up better in relief. They believed he could be a back-end starter with some progress/filling out.
