“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”
The Pittsburgh Pirates are calling up right-handed pitcher Domingo German, according to Mike Rodriguez. Alex Stumpf confirmed the report, while noting that German had an opt out on his deal for August 9th.
German previously opted out of his deal last month, but couldn’t find an opportunity elsewhere on the open market. He re-signed with the Pirates, and resumed pitching out of Triple-A Indianapolis. With a 5.29 ERA in 68 innings this year, the overall numbers haven’t been great. He does have a 4.15 ERA in 47.2 innings since June 12th, with a 47:17 K/BB.
The ERA has been inflated this year by a few bad outings. In the stretch since June 12th, German has made two starts with four earned runs in five innings. He also allowed five earned runs in seven innings during his most recent outing. He has more good starts than bad starts during this time.
That inconsistency has been the story for German in the majors. The other story has been his disciplinary issues — once for a domestic violence incident in 2019, and another for a blow up in the Yankees clubhouse last season. The Pirates signed him to a minor league deal earlier this year, giving him an opportunity to work his way back to the majors.
German is going to be greeted with a lot of reactions from keyboard social justice warriors on Twitter about how his past issues make him a forever irredeemable person. He’s made efforts in the past to rehabilitate himself, including going to rehab following his suspension from the Yankees last season.
There are two paths you can take as a human being. You can forever condemn people for their worst moments. You can also operate with sympathy and empathy towards humans who have struggled. Few practice the latter. It’s easier to pretend to be an infallible God. And there are a million little gods causing rain storms, turning every good thing to rust on Twitter.
Sympathy and empathy are in short supply in this society. Few receive it in their own lives, which creates a cycle where few offer it to others. These are the most powerful tools a person can wield. They’re an admission that you understand the complexities of humanity.
I’m glad to see German getting another chance in the majors. I hope things work out for him this time around, as well as going forward in his career and life.
Roster Moves
The Pirates made a few roster moves throughout the system on Thursday.
Colin Holderman was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right wrist sprain. Since July 28th, Holderman has a 16.62 ERA in 4.1 innings across five appearances, leading to four losses.
Ben Heller had his contract purchased from Indianapolis. He made two appearances earlier this season, allowing 11 earned runs in two innings. Heller has spent parts of five previous seasons in the majors, including 18.2 innings last year with the Braves where he posted a 3.86 ERA.
The Pirates designated outfielder Edward Olivares for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster. They added him in an offseason trade, hoping he would continue the power he showed with Kansas City last year. He hit .224/.291/.333 with five homers for the Pirates, before being sent down to Triple-A. He was hitting .250/.317/.339 in the minors. Both results were below the .263/.317/.452 line he had with the Royals.
Anthony Solometo returned to Altoona, after spending nearly two months on the development list and pitching in the lower levels. He pitched 1.2 innings on Thursday night in his return.
Bubba Chandler was officially promoted to Indianapolis. The top prospect in the system should make his Triple-A debut by the end of this weekend.
Josh Walker was placed on the injured list in Triple-A. The Pirates acquired the lefty reliever in a minor trade at the deadline.
Andres Alvarez and Dylan Shockley were activated for Indianapolis off the development list.
Rehab Updates
Jared Jones and Joshua Palacios began rehab assignments with Indianapolis on Thursday. Jones pitched 2.2 innings in his first game since July 3rd. Palacios went 0-for-2 with a walk, and only played seven innings.
Pirates Prospect Watch
After Jones made his return, Mike Burrows threw five shutout innings for Indianapolis. Michael Kennedy allowed one run in five innings, pitching a lower-level gem for Bradenton. Altoona has seen some offense lately, including six multi-hit games in a row from Sammy Siani. Read about all of Thursday’s minor league action in the latest Pirates Prospect Watch:
Pirates Prospect Watch: Jared Jones Returns to the Mound in Indianapolis
