The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed 29-year-old left-handed pitcher Ryan Borucki to a minor league deal. He was recently designated for assignment by the Chicago Cubs. He cleared waivers and refused an assignment to Triple-A, making him a free agent. The Pirates have assigned him to Triple-A Indianapolis, where he has been placed on the Development List.
Borucki has five years of big league experience, playing for the 2018-22 Toronto Blue Jays, before finishing the 2022 season with the Seattle Mariners. He signed a free agent deal with the Cubs this year, though he only played for Triple-A Iowa, where he got roughed up to the tune of 13 runs and a 2.11 WHIP in nine innings. He was actually on the active big league roster for two games this year without getting into a contest.
He’s had some mild success in the majors, posting a 4.45 ERA, a 4.54 FIP, a 1.40 WHIP and 136 strikeouts in 170 innings. He had a 5.68 ERA over 25.1 innings last year.
Borucki was a starter during the 2018-19 seasons, then moved to relief during the shortened 2020 season and hasn’t started since. He has seen limited work in that role, throwing 65.1 innings over 77 outings.
