The Pittsburgh Pirates made a few additions to their bullpen prior to Saturday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Left-handed pitcher Angel Perdomo was selected from Indianapolis, and right-hander Yerry De Los Santos was recalled.
To make room for the new pitchers, the Pirates designed Chris Owings for assignment, and optioned Cody Bolton to Triple-A.
Combined with yesterday’s moves, the Pirates have adjusted their MLB bench and bullpen, while adjusting their depth. Here is how each section looks.
The Bullpen is Full Again
Robert Stephenson was traded to the Rays yesterday. The Pirates optioned Bolton back down to Indianapolis today. Replacing those two are Perdomo and De Los Santos.
Perdomo gives the Pirates a second lefty, pairing him with Rule 5 pick Jose Hernandez. In 20 games with Indianapolis, Perdomo had a 3.18 ERA in 22.2 innings. He had some control problems, with 16 walks, but 35 strikeouts and a .167 average against shows that his stuff could be pretty dominant.
Bolton has had some control issues in his first trip to the majors. De Los Santos has also struggled with control while in the minors this year. The difference is Bolton’s control issues are recent. De Los Santos has been doing better with control lately and will get another shot in the majors. He threw 25.2 innings in the majors last year, with a 4.91 ERA and a 26:11 K/BB ratio.
Infield Shuffle
The Pirates activated Mark Mathias yesterday and designated Owings for assignment today. Mathias is batting .275 with a .370 OBP and hasn’t looked bad in the field. Owings is a defensive option who put up a .320 OPS. That’s an overall upgrade for the bench.
In return for Stephenson, the Pirates added Alika Williams from the Rays. Williams is a shortstop who was drafted in the first round in 2020, grading well with speed, defense, and contact skills. The Pirates could still keep Owings if he clears waivers, but Williams seems like a better long-term option, and maybe a better short-term depth option.
Aaron Shackelford Wins Player of the Month
After batting .278/.416/.653 with seven homers in 72 at-bats, Aaron Shackelford has been named the Indianapolis Indians Player of the Month for the month of May.
The 26-year-old infielder is no stranger to power, hitting 26 homers with an .813 OPS in a breakout campaign in Altoona last year. He spent most of his time last year at first base, but has gotten more time in 2023 at second base. He’s also gotten a few starts at third. Shackelford could be an infield option for the Pirates later this year, probably factoring in on the right side off the bench.
Pirates Release Lower Level Players
The Pirates released six minor league players yesterday. Those players were outfielder Deion Walker, right-handed pitchers Ryan Velasquez, Drew Irvine, Andres Sierra and Juan Santos, and catcher Jhosmmel Zue. John Dreker wrote about each player yesterday.
Today, the Pirates released Jasiah Dixon, according to the MiLB.com transaction pages. Dixon had a career .649 OPS in 384 at-bats with the Pirates, spending all of his time in Bradenton between rookie ball and Single-A. He had a .610 OPS in 125 at-bats in Single-A last year, but struck out around a third of the time. He’s been one of the fastest players in the system since he was drafted in the 23rd round in 2019, with contact issues limiting his speed.
Pirates Notebook is a daily rundown of the news throughout the Pirates system. Check back throughout the day for updates.
