The Pittsburgh Pirates made several moves Tuesday morning which bring the team closer to finding its major league roster.
Infielder Jake Goebbert, pitcher Trey Haley and Rob Scahill were all sent to Triple-A Indianapolis while outfielders Danny Ortiz and Antoan Richardson in addition to pitchers Curtis Patsch and Robert Zarate each got reassigned to minor league camp.
Goebbert was an early off-season signing who provided a left-handed bat with capabilities of playing first base and right field. This flexibility helped his case as the Pirates have limited left-handed bench options but with a decision on Matt Joyce fast approaching, Goebbert was too far behind on the team’s depth chart. He batted .194 with four RBI this spring.
Scahill was thought of as a possibility of sneaking into a bullpen role for a second consecutive season. Last season he was initially sent down but ended up making the 25-man roster. He had the lowest ERA on the team for the first month or two of games but an injury derailed that progress.
With Jared Hughes’s lat injury now a factor, it was thought that Scahill may earn a spot, but for now at least that will not hold true. Scahill was 1-0 with a 4.32 ERA in Spring Training.
Haley was signed to a major league contract by the Pirates. He had elected free agency after being designated for assignment by the Cleveland Indians upon its signing of John Axford. Haley posted a 6.23 ERA this spring.
Pirates general manager Neal Huntington also announced that outfielder Matt Joyce will make the big league squad, and Jeff Locke will be in the rotation.
All of these moves mean that 35 players remain in Major League camp.
