The Pittsburgh Pirates have placed right-handed pitcher Hunter Stratton on the 60-day injured list, after the reliever ruptured his patella tendon on Saturday night. This will end the 2024 season for Stratton, who had a 3.58 ERA in 37.2 innings, with a 33:7 K/BB.
Stratton had one of the best pitches on the team, with his slider generating a 43.5% whiff rate and a +6 run value. He should be a candidate for the bullpen in 2025, assuming he’s healthy by the time Spring Training rolls around.
The Pirates purchased the contract of LHP Brady Feigl from Triple-A. This is likely to be a short-term assignment for the 33-year-old reliever, with three relievers rehabbing in Triple-A at the moment. Feigl has an 0.82 ERA in 11 innings this month for Indianapolis, with a 14:3 K/BB.
Minor Moves
The Pirates have made the following minor league moves over the last few days:
- RHP Antwone Kelly was activated off the 7-day injured list in Bradenton. He made his first start in two months on Saturday night, throwing 2.1 innings.
- LHP Jacob Bimbi, drafted in the 11th round, was added to the Bradenton roster. He made his debut last night with 1.2 scoreless innings.
- RHP Jaycob Deese was promoted from Greensboro to Altoona. The 2022 17th rounder had a 6.64 ERA in 30 appearances for Greensboro. This is the second time he’s been called up to Altoona, used as a depth option.
- LHP Inmer Lobo was placed on the 7-day IL for Bradenton.
- C Abrahan Gutierrez was placed on the 7-day injured list in Altoona. Eli Wilson was activated to take his place.
Josh Walker Returns
The Pirates re-signed LHP Josh Walker to a minor league deal last week, not long after they released him. Walker was added in a minor move at the trade deadline to give the Pirates left-handed relief depth. He pitched one game for Indianapolis, then went on the injured list.
When the Pirates needed a 40-man roster spot for Domingo German, they designated Walker for assignment. Since he was injured, he couldn’t be placed on outright release waivers, and instead was placed on release waivers. Walker was released on August 10th, and re-signed on August 15th.
Walker is still out with an injury.
