The Pirates announced they have selected the contract of catcher/outfielder Henry Davis, a move that was reported yesterday. To make room for Davis on the active roster, infielder Mark Mathias was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. To open a spot on the 40-man roster, reliever Eli Villalobos was designated for assignment.
It’s a little surprising to see the Pirates turn to a DFA as the corresponding move for Davis’ call-up. Starter Vince Velasquez could’ve been transferred to the 60-day injured list to clear a 40-man spot after the revelation he’ll miss the remainder of the season (and a good chunk of next year) due to elbow surgery. The Pirates will hold off on a seemingly inevitable IL transfer for Velasquez and take Villalobos off the roster for now.
Pittsburgh nabbed Villalobos off waivers from the Marlins a couple months ago. The right-hander has spent his entire Bucs’ tenure on optional assignment to Indianapolis. He hasn’t performed particularly well, allowing 11 runs (eight earned) in 17 1/3 innings. Villalobos has walked 15 against just 16 strikeouts.
Combined with the six runs he allowed in 4 2/3 Triple-A frames before Miami put him on waivers, he has a cumulative 5.73 ERA with 22 free passes and 23 punchouts in 22 innings at the top minor league level this year. It’s obviously not how he wanted to follow up on a strong 2022 campaign, in which he pitched to a 2.86 ERA in the upper levels of the Miami system to secure an offseason spot on the Marlins’ 40-man roster.
Villalobos, who turns 26 next week, has not yet gotten his first MLB call. He’ll likely be put on waivers within the next seven days.
Mathias will go as soon as Gonzales is ready to be brought up or Oneil Cruz is reinstated from the 60. Day IL, which ever comes first
Velasquez will go to 60 day if need be. This move was just because they doubt anyone will claim Eli and wouldn’t care if they did.
He is a DFA to be made later. You are correct the Vince will be the next move when they need a 40man spot but they will need more. Priester, Cruz, Gonzales and maybe even Jones later in the season will all need a spot.
Well, @TheMan3 can relax. His boy Mathias is finally gone
Well,at least optioned to AAA for now..
I won’t relax completely until Joe bats somewhere else in the lineup than 3rd where he’s batting tonight
But sending down Mathias is a good start
And the evidence of my distaste for Joe batting third?
He struck out in his first AB
Analytics might be effective on most teams, it isn’t on this one
For some time now, I’ve watched literally every game that I possibly could
But after all the hype we’ve endured in the past few months, and certainly after tonight’s train wreck, I’m done
Nutting said in a lengthy interview this spring that “losing is unacceptable”
If that’s true, he should make the corporate decision to get rid of. 90% of his personnel and start over
He can’t possibly do any worse
You talk about the A’s, the Royals….this team is worse. Lifeless. Perfectly fine with losing.
Can’t pitch. Can’t hit. Can’t field.
But hey, “they’re in the hunt”
Screw this
As a lifelong Pirate fan, since 1966, through the great years and the lean years, I’ve never been so embarrassed.
Shelton and his hitting coach are failures. It’s worth repeating, how is it possible that an entire team always be in a perpetual offensive slump? And how is it possible to continue using the same lineup that doesn’t produce runs?
Spare me what other teams do or how analytics are used to determine which player should be batting where in the lineup.
It doesn’t work with this team
I remember when my father took me and my brother to see a game at Forbes Field and watched Willie Stargell hit a home run over the right field roof. I was only 12 but it left an amazing impression on me.
I attended the game on September 30 1972 when Roberto Clemente got his 3000th and final hit of his career and also attended the 1994 All Star game at 3 Rivers Stadium
I was a season ticket holder for 30 years as well, so I’ve always been a die hard fan
Pinch hitting for Cutcj in the 9th last night who had already drawn 2 walks for free swinging Suwinski who predictably struck out is yet another questionable move
Shelton’s incompetence has made me question my loyalty to this team
Very similar story with me, @TheMan3. We grew up with baseball. Forbes Field, Roberto, Stargell, Blass, to Three Rivers, the Lumber Company and Leyland, Bonds, Van Slyke and Drabek
Like you, we endured lean years, the drug trials, and the Russell and McClendon tenures
I said last year that the Pirates were killing off their fan base by the level of play we’d seen. Clearly, the marketing department is aware of this and has worked to attract younger fans via promotions, fireworks and pierogi races. And they repeatedly pounded the idea of a restocked farm system with minor league talent that was just arriving over the past year or will do so soon
I’m sure longtime fans are not their target audience and are aware that a prolonged hype plan will sell tickets
But if you know baseball, you know this is a pathetic team, that most of their top young players would be bench depth on other rosters, if that
Younger fans have become lulled into the idea of not believing what they are actually seeing, that this team is “in the hunt” and becoming a contender isn’t far off
It’s almost comical
One compliment I can easily give to ownership and management, they’ve learned the art of BS
Yesterday you mentioned that Nutting won’t accept a losing team yet that’s probably this team’s best quality, the art of losing. It starts at the top and trickles down to the players.
Yes this is a pathetic team
If Laura Nyro were alive today, she’d write “Eli’s Goin'”
How is the fact that Henry Davis was the first overall pick just a couple years ago no where in this article?
They were waiting on you, Rod.
You’re right they wrote more about the guy who was DFA, than about Davis.
How is it even conceivable that every player on one team is constantly in an offensive slump?
Is it the players or the hitting coaches?
I will say that moving Joe down and Hayes up produced some hits
Suwinski is 0 for his last 18 and batting Palacios first isn’t the answer
Put Bae in the leadoff spot and leave him there. Fire Andy haines before he screws up any more of your young guys and let Davis and Endy alternate at catcher. If Hedges is such an asset to new catchers and pitchers, retire him and make him a coach. Delay has to go. Neither one of these catchers is an asset to this team. I honestly think Shelton is not qualified to be a major league manager. Listening to Jim Leland in the booth last night solidified that opinion for me!.