The Pittsburgh Pirates made two roster moves over the weekend impacting their Triple-A depth. Outfielder Edward Olivares was outrighted to Indianapolis, while left-handed pitcher Josh Walker was released.
Olivares was previously designated for assignment at the end of last week. He was acquired by the Pirates in the offseason in a minor trade with Kansas City for lower-level organizational player Deivis Nadal. Olivares was given a chance in Pittsburgh with regular starting time in right field, but hit .224/.391/.333.
The Pirates were hoping to capitalize on a power increase from Olivares in 2023, when he hit 12 homers, stole 11 bases, and batted .263/.317/.452. A lot of that production came in the second half last year, when he hit .299/.355/.528 with six of his homers in 138 plate appearances. He didn’t repeat those results, and the Pirates sent him to Indianapolis in early July.
While in Triple-A, Olivares continued to struggle at the plate. In 63 plate appearances, he hit .250/.317/.339. The Pirates designated him for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for RHP Ben Heller, who was called up as bullpen depth over the weekend. The fact that Olivares is making $1.35 million this year, and has been struggling, likely prevented any other team from taking a shot on him.
Walker was acquired by the Pirates at the trade deadline in another minor deal. The Pirates sent DSL left-handed pitcher Nicolas Carreno to the Mets, after they had previously designated Walker for assignment. At the time, the Pirates had just watched left-hander Josh Fleming elect free agency, reducing their left-handed relief depth.
Following the trade, Walker made one appearance for Indianapolis, allowing two runs in a single inning. He as placed on the 7-day injured list on Thursday, and was designated for assignment on Friday to make room for RHP Domingo German on the 40-man roster. Because Walker was injured, he couldn’t be placed on outright waivers. He also couldn’t be traded after the deadline, making release waivers the only option.
The Pirates will now have Olivares in Triple-A for the remainder of the season. He will likely be non-tendered after the season, and is unlikely to be used as depth this year after the Bryan De La Cruz trade. They could try to re-sign Walker to a minor league deal.
