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Pirates Designate Anthony Banda For Assignment, Release Heath Hembree

By Steve Adams and Anthony Franco | June 27, 2022 at 3:32pm CDT

The Pirates announced a series of roster moves Monday, reinstating utilityman Josh VanMeter from the injured list, recalling righty Miguel Yajure from Triple-A Indianapolis, optioning outfielder Cal Mitchell to Triple-A and designating lefty Anthony Banda for assignment. Pittsburgh also released righty Heath Hembree after he cleared waivers, per Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link) and assigned righty Jerad Eickhoff to Indianapolis after he cleared outright waivers.

Banda has been in Pittsburgh for a bit shy of a year, having been claimed off waivers from the Mets last August. He made 25 appearances down the stretch, tossing 26 1/3 frames of 3.42 ERA ball. That came with middle-of-the-road strikeout and walk numbers, but Banda was successful enough to hold his roster spot over the winter. He broke camp this season and went on to make 23 more appearances, but the 28-year-old didn’t have nearly as much success keeping runs off the board.

Through 19 2/3 innings, Banda owns a 6.41 ERA. He’s posted slightly below-average marks in both strikeout rate (22.4%) and swinging strike percentage (9.4%), although that’s come with career-best control. Banda has walked only around 5% of opponents, and he’s averaging a personal-high 95.3 MPH on his fastball. Opposing hitters have an unsustainably high .463 batting average on balls in play against him in spite of a general lack of hard contact.

Those better underlying traits could entice another club to roll the dice on Banda over the coming days. The Bucs will have a week to trade him or try to run him through waivers. He’s out of minor league option years, so any team that acquires him would have to keep him on the active roster or DFA him themselves.

Hembree heads to free agency after being designated for assignment himself last week (ironically to accommodate Eickhoff’s selection to the 40-man roster). That’s little surprise, as the veteran reliever is playing this season on a $2.125MM salary and is amidst a down year. He posted a 7.16 ERA with more walks than strikeouts in 20 appearances for the Bucs, but he’s only a season removed from punching out 34.2% of batters faced. That’ll at least generate some minor league interest now that Hembree’s back on the open market; a signing team would only owe him the prorated portion of the $700K minimum salary for any time he spends in the majors, with the Pirates on the hook for the rest of the money owed.

Eickhoff has the right to join Hembree in free agency, having been outrighted on multiple occasions in his career. He made just one MLB appearance, serving up ten runs in 4 1/3 innings against the Cubs. The veteran righty has otherwise spent the season in Indianapolis, tossing 48 1/3 frames of 4.84 ERA ball.

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Pittsburgh Pirates Transactions Anthony Banda Cal Mitchell Heath Hembree Jerad Eickhoff Josh VanMeter Miguel Yajure

Mets Claim Kramer Robertson, Transfer Tylor Megill To 60-Day IL
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Cardinals Place Jack Flaherty, Harrison Bader On Injured List
View Comments (27)
Post a Comment

27 Comments

  1. bucsfan0004

    3 years ago

    As these utility placeholders make their way off the IL, i’d prefer to see them all DFA’d…. looking at you VanMeter, Marisnick, and even you Gamel.

    1
    Reply
    • ElGaupo77

      3 years ago

      Gamel dfaed? Nah he’d return something, he’ll be traded once he’s healthy.

      3
      Reply
    • mlb1225

      3 years ago

      Gamel won’t be DFA’d. He has some value as a trade piece. Much see them DFA Yoshi over him.

      4
      Reply
      • bucsfan0004

        3 years ago

        Forgot about Yoshi. Funny how i can recall more starters from the 2000 team (a bad team) than i can about the 2022 team.

        Reply
  2. ronnsnow

    3 years ago

    Im actually okay with Gamel on the team, but VanMeter, Marisnick, and Tsutsugo need to be gone.

    3
    Reply
    • panj341

      3 years ago

      Agree and why is Van Meter playing first base again, has already committed an error.

      Reply
      • Ghost of past pirates

        3 years ago

        Because Shelton is an idiot

        2
        Reply
  3. mlb1225

    3 years ago

    At least we’re not starting another Quad-A re-tread like Eickhoff again, or Bryse Wilson.

    Reply
    • Ham Fighter

      3 years ago

      Eickoff dude

      1
      Reply
  4. Mendoza Line 215

    3 years ago

    These are all good moves.
    Mitchell needs more time in AAA.He was only there for five weeks,and obviously is overmatched in the Majors.
    Van Meter is fine for now,but they will need his spot soon.
    Banda was one who has some ability but is too up and down to last as a MLer.
    I thought that they would bring up Fletcher to see if he is 40 man roster worthy,but Yajure has some promise and has been pitching better in Indianapolis.
    Marisnick will go as soon as he gets off the IL but they will keep Gamel as he is still one of their better hitters.They will get something at the trade deadline for him.

    4
    Reply
    • Robertowannabe

      3 years ago

      Yajure had been hurt and just getting back. Yes he does have promise. Fletcher has been up a couple of times this year already.

      Reply
    • alwaysgo4two

      3 years ago

      Mitchell had a nice start but once Madris came up and overshadowed him, we all knew that it was coming.

      3
      Reply
  5. mlb1225

    3 years ago

    I hope Banda passes through waivers. He has some promosing underlying numbers and wouldn’t mind keeping him in the system. See if he can turn things around.

    Reply
  6. LarsAnderson

    3 years ago

    The mug is round, the jar is round, that’s gold Jerry! I realize that’s Bania not Banda, but it’s pretty close and it was the first thing that popped into my mind when I read the title.

    1
    Reply
  7. panj341

    3 years ago

    I see no reason to let Eickhoff anywhere near a Pirate uniform nor an Indy one.

    3
    Reply
    • Robertowannabe

      3 years ago

      Between guys to the majors and the IL they could use the body in Indy temporarily.

      Reply
  8. 66TheNumberOfTheBest

    3 years ago

    Hearing you aren’t good enough to play for the Pirates has to be a tough day.

    Reply
  9. Monkey’s Uncle

    3 years ago

    Banda the run….

    Reply
  10. Gterm

    3 years ago

    Why is Ji Hwan Bae wasting away in the minors? Hitting 319 7 Homer’s 18 steals. But Van Meter and Park continue to get starts…what can possibly be the reason

    2
    Reply
  11. mister guy

    3 years ago

    2 former giants let go by the pirates is what I read

    Reply
  12. Rick Wilkins

    3 years ago

    Random baseball fact of the day. In the last 20 years, every team in baseball has had a least one player hit 40 or more HRs in a season, except 1. The Pirates last player to hit 40 HRs in a season was 49 years ago, when Willie Stargell hit 44 in 1973. Carry on.

    2
    Reply
    • panj341

      3 years ago

      Josh Bell was probably the closest with 37 , Pedro had 36. I think Brian Giles was more than 20 years ago.

      Reply
    • AHH-Rox

      3 years ago

      The pre-juiced Barry Bonds played 7 seasons in Pittsburgh and never hit more than 34.

      Reply
    • Mendoza Line 215

      3 years ago

      Giles had years of 39,38,37,and 35 the four years around the turn of the century.
      The Pirates could use him now.

      1
      Reply
      • panj341

        3 years ago

        Sadly they would trade him because his salary would be too high.

        Reply
  13. scottn59c

    3 years ago

    No Hay Banda

    Reply
  14. honalieh

    3 years ago

    Ji-hwan Bae.

    I see him as the starting 2B next year. A career batting average in the minors now over ,300. Class A batting champion. 2019 -..323. Has speed. Starting to show a little power. Now at .319 in AAA. In the running to win a 2nd minor league batting title. Also among the leaders in SB’s
    2019 A- = Batting Champion.
    2020 = No Season
    2021 = Skipped a level to AA. Hit .278, Started to show “some” power.
    2022 = AAA. In contention for another Batting Title. “Some” power. Significant speed.
    Does not yet have to be rostered, so I try to hold off until mid to late August or finish of AAA season, and retain his rookie status for 2023!!! There are draft incentives.

    Remember, he’s the same age as Nick Gonzalez and Henry Davis (both struggling in AA), and he’s raking in AAA.

    3
    Reply

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