To make room for Marlon Byrd and John Buck on the 40-man roster, the Pittsburgh Pirates have designated Russ Canzler for assignment and have placed Kyle McPherson on the 60-day disabled list. To add McPherson to the 60-day DL they had to recall him.
Canzler was added back in July from Baltimore for Tim Alderson. He’s an infielder who can hit left-handed pitching. If he clears waivers he could still be an option for the Pirates in September, although the Pirates also have Chase d’Arnaud and Matt Hague as infield options who can hit left-handers. Also, with the addition of Marlon Byrd, the Pirates have one less position that can’t hit lefties.
McPherson is out for the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery. The Pirates will have to pay him a major league salary for the rest of the year, but one advantage is that they also get an extra playoff roster spot. When the playoffs roll around, they should be able to replace McPherson on the playoff roster with anyone who is in the organization on August 31st.
The Pirates will still need to make 25-man moves to add Byrd and Buck. Those moves should come tomorrow when they join the team.
