The Pirates announced that they have designated right-hander Evan Meek for assignment. The move creates 40-man roster space for right-hander Rick VandenHurk, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Indianapolis. Pittsburgh also recalled infielder Chase d'Arnaud and right-hander Bryan Morris in related moves.
Meek, a 2010 All-Star, has been in the Pittsburgh organization since the Pirates selected him in the 2007 Rule 5 draft. He has spent time on the MLB roster in each of the last five seasons, and made 12 relief appearances in 2012. The 29-year-old spent most of this year with Triple-A Indianapolis, where he posted a 2.74 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9 in 46 innings of relief work. In five MLB seasons, he has a 3.34 ERA, 7.5 K/9, 4.7 BB/9, a 52.1 % ground ball rate and an average fastball velocity of 94 mph.
