The Pirates have designated left-handed reliever Ryan Borucki for assignment, manager Don Kelly announced to reporters prior to this afternoon’s game (link via Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Pittsburgh also recalled righty Colin Holderman and lefty Evan Sisk from Triple-A Indianapolis and optioned righty Cam Sanders.
The 31-year-old Borucki has had a second straight rough season with the Bucs. Back in 2023, he turned in a sharp 2.45 ERA with a 21.7% strikeout rate and superlative 2.6% walk rate through 40 1/3 frames. He’s since turned in successive ERAs of 7.36 and 5.28 over a combined 41 2/3 frames while navigating multiple injuries. Borucki was out for more than a month due to a lower back injury earlier this summer, and a triceps injury limited him to just 11 innings in 2024.
Even with that rough stretch, Borucki still carries a career 4.38 ERA in 252 big league innings. He’s set down 19.6% of his career opponents on strikes and walked 8.7% of them. Neither is a plus mark, but neither is too far from league average. Borucki’s career 48.3% ground-ball rate (55% in 2025) is several percentage points north of average.
Borucki’s minor league deal with the Pirates contained a $1.15MM base salary that locked in when he was added to the big league roster. Any team that claims him off waivers — he obviously cannot be traded now that the deadline has passed — would be responsible for the prorated remainder of that sum, about $272K through season’s end. Since Borucki has more than five years of big league service, it doesn’t make much of a difference whether he’s placed on outright waivers or release waivers. He has the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency and still retain the remainder of his guaranteed money.
For the Pirates, it’s an understandable decision to move on. Borucki allowed three runs in his most recent outing and has struggled for much of the season when healthy. He’d have been a free agent at season’s end, so they’ll instead give his innings to younger arms who can be controlled beyond the current season. If a team claims the remaining $272K that’s on his contract, it’s all the better, but either way his departure will allow the Pirates more opportunity to evaluate potential future pieces in the ’pen.
Why do the Pirates hate Bubba?
Why do you think it’s just the Pirates?
Cherington is scared to bring him up and have him struggle because he and Griffin are the only reasons he has an ounce of job security. IMO.
He’s not good of late. Been inconsistent for much longer. In a age when you do everything to protect arms why give him stressful mlb innings after a long season already. Why burn up service time. If the team was fighting for playoffs and Bubba was doing awesome sure.
Seems like Bubba is just going thru the motions now after not being called up in late June. After June its not service time manipulation anymore unless theyre going to hold him hostage in Indy another full year. At least Indy is a nice walkable city
It could be service manipulation and the best there is. Keep him in minors 2 more months and gain another season of his services as long as he doesn’t win or finish 2nd in ROY. Can’t say it is because he hasn’t done well enough to say he needs called up. Actually shown why he is still in minors. I doubt he is just going through the motions but if so good. Get that extra season.
The poor pathetic Pirates…my team since 1970…couldn’t field a competitive team even if they actually tried.
I regret this for the citizens of Pittsburgh and all Pirates fans.
Thing is, free agents have a choice who to play for. And nobody wants to play for the Pirates, even if offered more money. Saw that in the last off-season with Grichuk and others turning down the Bucs for others. So even if Nutting opens the purse it won’t help. They need to figure out how to develop hitters if they ever want to compete.
as long as Cherington is the GM, player ( position) development will never be anything more than it is now
I dunno. Player development has definitely improved with bigger steps taken in last year or so. I see no reason to rule out it not improving more.
Old Buc Fan
If they offered a longer contract than one year more would come.
Every team has to pay more $ unless it’s the 1 or 2 teams someone wants to play for. Higher tax states country’s have to make up for that. Losing teams who are likely to trade you at deadline have to make up for that.
Are we giving Nutting too much credit? I heard Pirates were interested in Grichuk and others but never heard of offers. Quintana is only offer I heard. I think him turning it down was because he thought he could do better $. He seemed to like Pittsburgh and Oscar. If he didn’t it wouldn’t have made it as far along in negotiations to get a offer.
Typical moves by cherrington and Kelly. So bubba has not been good at triple a lately. Bring the kid up. I hold bet my life that he would be better than heaney and burrows.
And why are they still playing pham, kiner(whatever) and triolo? Is it Kelly’s way to hopefully win z few games, so they can hire him full time? Biggest mistake they can do.
Typical move by Kelly? Lol cmon
Cherringtons call. But I’m sure Kelly has a say in player moves.
A general manager in any sport consults with the coach or manager before making moves.
Just to be clear here…
You are both upset that the Pirates DFA borucki with his era over 7 last year and north of 5 this year
And at the same time
Upset that they haven’t called up a rookie starter who has been shelled for the last months.
I’m not sure Kelly has as much input on the roster as you may think. Nor the lineup for that matter. They rely far too much on analytics in their lineups. Complain about Peguero not being an every day starter and I’d be on board. Any consulting you are referring to is likely to be… hey Don can you let Borucki know to clean out his locker.
I’d be so much more on board with this if you complained they kept Ramirez on the roster.
Just about everyone will listen to feedback. But do they listen? Some do and some think they are smartest guy in the room. You would hope Cherington is smartest guy in the room and is smart enough to listen. Who knows though.
I like Kelly though. Like a Pittsburgh guy in Pittsburgh. I think being a good manager is something you can learn. I think he should managed next year. I think Nutting thinks this as well.
Burrows has been solid in most of his starts this year. Few bumps in the road, but nothing completley unexpected for a rookie pitcher. Chandler is averaging 4 innings a start since the beginning of June.
Twins on line two…
.
Ones a 5 tool SS gold glove CF and the other is a 1 and a half tool 2b. Come on now.
#1 Nutting is clueless so no idea what he will do.
But I think Cherington will be back.
He just made one of the greatest trades in baseball history dumping Hayes to the reds. Nutting had to love that. And whatever he said to Nutting about the prospects in Bednar Falter trade to get Nutting to approve those trades makes one believe Nutting has full confidence in Cherington and he is back for 2026.
For the third straight year Pirates got the best player in the draft. They have the best pitching prospect and best hitting prospect in baseball. #2 farm system in baseball America latest rankings.
Did you read what I said? That’s impressive stuff. Hard to fire Cherington.
And he wanted to trade Bednar Reynolds at peak value but Nutting wouldn’t let him. That’s a big I told you so he has right there.
MLB team is awful. Keeping Shelton so long awful.
Player development has greatly improved. Took forever as it probably should but it’s getting there.
Unpopular opinion but Cherington probably needs another year. Who knows what next gm will be with Nutting Williams hiring them.
More negatives. Analytics department one of the worst in baseball. Just see Priester giddy up giddy up 409.
It’s a coin flip for me. They need better than Cherington. Just with KG Bubba #2 farm system it’s a tuff fire right now.
Griff is 6’5 and runs faster than anybody on the field.
Ashcraft was pulled in today’s game after pitching 5 innings and only giving up one run
He was efficient and threw less than 60 pitches
I don’t question them dumping Borucki, I question why Kelly didn’t allow Ashcraft throw another inning
Again you act as if it’s all Don Kelly. This isn’t the 90s any more. GMs and analytics are far more involved. Perhaps they know something you don’t…
something like the opponents BA jumps to over .300 after going twice through the lineup.
These are all scenarios decided before the game.
When you are used to throwing 2 or 3 innings you don’t suddenly throw 6 or 7. Only reason he went 5 was because he was efficient.