The Pittsburgh Pirates have purchased the contract of Vin Mazzaro from Triple-A Indianapolis and have optioned Bryan Morris to Triple-A.
Morris threw three shutout innings last night in his 2013 debut in the majors. However, the bullpen has been overworked, and the Pirates need relievers. So far this season, Mazzaro has thrown seven shutout innings in relief for Indianapolis, with a 9:1 K/BB ratio. His last appearance came on Friday when he threw two shutout innings after Kyle McPherson was removed early for giving up seven runs in 1.2 innings. So Mazzaro looks ready for Pittsburgh.
You can understand the move here. The Pirates need bullpen help. Morris won’t be able to throw for a few days because he went three innings last night. But once again Morris isn’t getting a real shot in the majors, despite the fact that he looks ready and has done nothing but pitch well in his limited experience in the big leagues. Hopefully one day soon he’ll get a real shot, rather than just being used as a depth option.
The Pirates had an open spot on the 40-man roster, so no corresponding move needs to be made for Mazzaro.