The Pirates announced that they placed right-hander Juan Cruz on the restricted list so he can return to the Dominican Republic and attend to some personal business. The club has selected the contract of Doug Slaten from Triple-A in a related move.
Cruz, 33, signed a one-year, $1.25MM contract in February and has a 1.45 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 18 2/3 innings so far this year. Players on the restricted list do not count toward a team's 25-man or 40-man roster. They do not accrue service time and they don't always get paid.
Sorry for Cruz, but I think that Slaten has earned the bump up at AAA. Another diamond in the rough at AAA has been Jo-Jo Reyes. I wonder if he will recieve the call at some point?
Boy, I sure hope not based on Reyes’s track record. Slaten at least once was a successful pitcher; I don’t ever recall Reyes doing anything except disappointing. I’m not overly thrilled with either guy, but I don’t mind having a second lefty around either. I hope whatever matters Cruz need to attend to are of short duration and that everything is OK with him and his family. He has been nothing short of fantastic this year.
I hope everything is ok and this isnt a major issue
is it just me or does this season seem like the year of the restricted list players? seems every week more are added. Best of luck to Cruz