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Ryan Borucki

Pirates, Ryan Borucki Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Pirates have agreed to a minor league contract with free agent lefty Ryan Borucki, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Borucki, a client of ISE Baseball, will earn a $1.15MM base salary (with additional incentives available) if he makes the big league roster. He’ll be in big league camp as a non-roster invitee this spring.

This will be Borucki’s third straight season in Pittsburgh. The Bucs originally signed the former Blue Jays southpaw to a minor league deal prior to the 2023 season. He was selected to the big league roster that May and stuck through the end of the 2024 season.

Borucki was excellent during his first season as a Pirate, logging 40 1/3 innings from the point of his original call to the majors that season and turning in a sharp 2.45 ERA with a 21.7% strikeout rate against a superlative 2.6% walk rate. He kept the ball on the ground at a better-than-average 45.9% clip, only allowed 0.89 HR/9 and was effective against both lefties (.149/.230/.254) and righties (.213/.224/.373).

Health troubles ruined Borucki’s 2024 campaign, however. He agreed to a $1.6MM deal avoiding arbitration, but a triceps issue limited him to only 11 innings. He opened the year with three shutout frames (five strikeouts, no walks) before being tagged for two runs in one-third of an inning and promptly heading to the injured list for what wound up being nearly five months. Upon returning in September, Borucki was roughed up for seven runs in 7 2/3 innings. He finished out the season with an ugly 7.36 earned run average in that small sample of 11 injury-marred innings.

Now back with the Bucs, Borucki will head to camp and look to work his way back into the team’s bullpen plans. The Pirates have added a pair of low-cost left-handed bullpen options this winter in Caleb Ferguson ($3MM) and Tim Mayza (just yesterday, at $1.15MM). They also have out-of-options former top prospect Joey Wentz, whom they picked up on a waiver claim and who pitched quite well for them in 12 innings down the stretch last year.

Borucki is the only veteran lefty who’ll be in camp on as a non-roster invitee. As such, in the event of injuries and/or significant struggles from that trio of southpaws on the 40-man roster, he could be one of the first men up — particularly since he’s already familiar with the organization and the bulk of the coaching staff.

Pirates Activate Ryan Borucki, Colin Holderman

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The Pirates announced earlier today that they’ve activated left-hander Ryan Borucki from the 60-day injured list and right-hander Colin Holderman from the 15-day injured list. No corresponding moves were necessary, as the club had space on the 40-man roster available. Pittsburgh was able to add two pitchers to the roster when rosters expanded today as opposed to the typical additions of one position player and one pitcher because the club already had 14 position players on the roster after Andrew McCutchen’s recent return from the IL.

Borucki, 30, emerged as one of the club’s most reliable relievers last year when he pitched to a 2.45 ERA with a 3.50 FIP in 40 1/3 innings last year. The southpaw paired a solid 21.7% strikeout rate with a strong 46.8% groundball rate and allowed free passes to just 2.6% of opponents last year. That breakout performance came on the heels of an uneven career with the Blue Jays where he struggled to a 4.47 ERA and 4.41 FIP in 151 innings of work spread across five seasons, and it made the Pirates’ decision to avoid arbitration with Borucki by agreeing to a $1.6MM salary something of a no-brainer.

Unfortunately, the club’s investment in the lefty has not paid off as he has been limited to just four appearances this year due to triceps inflammation. The southpaw has been struggling to work his way back since he first went out on a rehab assignment in late June but finally found some consistency after returning to rehab in mid-August, with a 1.80 ERA at the Triple-A level across five rehab outings. Borucki now figures to join Aroldis Chapman and Jalen Beeks as a left-handed option out of the bullpen for the Pirates down the stretch as he looks to finish the season strong with an eye toward free agency in November.

As for Holderman, the right-hander has been a steady middle relief option for the Pirates all throughout the year. In his second full season with Pittsburgh, the 28-year-old has posted a solid 3.43 ERA in 42 innings, though his 4.43 FIP and an elevated 11.3% walk rate are potential red flags that he may not be able to keep that performance up long-term. Regardless, Holderman figures to rejoin the club’s middle relief corps alongside recently-demoted closer David Bednar down the stretch.

Pirates Place David Bednar On 15-Day Injured List

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Prior to today’s 3-1 loss to the Rays, the Pirates placed closer David Bednar on the 15-day injured list due to a left oblique strain.  The placement is retroactive to June 20.  Left-hander Justin Bruihl was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.

Bednar last pitched on Wednesday, and Pirates GM Ben Cherington said in his weekly radio show (hat tip to Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) said that the right-hander “felt a little something in his left side” following that outing.  Bednar and the team took a few days to rest and evaluate the situation, but after Bednar still felt some tightness after a throwing session, an IL trip was deemed necessary.

Cherington described the placement as somewhat preventative, as Bednar’s strain is considered relatively mild and there is hope he might be able to return once his minimum 15 days are up.  As Cherington noted, “We need him for the biggest part of the season, as possible….Hopefully, that means it’s a short stay on the IL, rather than it turning into something bigger and it being a longer absence.”

The Bucs dropped to 37-40 after today’s loss, but remain just a couple of games out of a wild card berth in the very crowded NL postseason race.  A hot week could easily get Pittsburgh into a playoff position, though the team’s struggling lineup will have to start producing, and naturally losing their closer for at least 15 days won’t help the Pirates’ chances.

Owner Bob Nutting believes his team can stay in contention, and recently said that the Pirates could make some additions at the July 30 trade deadline (and possibly receive some extra payroll space to make those adds).  However, given the Bucs’ lack of offense and now this hit to their bullpen, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Pittsburgh explored being deadline sellers if the team can’t get on track, or if other NL clubs start to catch fire and create some real space in the wild card race.

Bednar’s injury could make his trade candidacy a moot point, but even if he did return in 15 days and the Pirates looked to deal some players at the deadline, it isn’t likely that he’d be on the move by July 30.  While Bednar’s name has long been linked to trade speculation, the Bucs have shown that they’re eager to properly end their rebuilding period, so it isn’t likely that they would move such an effective closer in short order.  It isn’t out of the question that the Pirates could still trade Bednar as his price tag continues to rise during his arbitration years, but that concept will likely be explored more in the offseason than within the next month.

An All-Star the last two seasons, Bednar has a 5.17 ERA over 31 1/3 innings this year due to a very rough start.  After posting an 11.45 ERA over his first 13 appearances and 11 innings, Bednar has righted the ship and delivered a 1.77 ERA across his last 21 games and 20 1/3 innings.

With Bednar sidelined, Cherington said it’ll be “all hands on deck” for closing duties.  Aroldis Chapman and Colin Holderman are the likeliest candidates to earn saves — Holderman has been the more effective of the two pitchers this season, though Chapman has a long history of past closing experience.

The Pirates could also get some bullpen reinforcements coming in the form of Ryan Borucki, as the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Kevin Gorman writes that Borucki is set to begin a minor league rehab assignment on Tuesday.  Borucki hasn’t pitched since April 5 since a case of left triceps inflammation sent him to the 15-day and then the 60-day injured list.

Pirates Sign Justin Bruihl To Major League Deal

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2:55pm: The Pirates have now made it official and announced the corresponding moves. Right-hander Quinn Priester has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to June 3, with a right lat muscle injury. To open a 40-man spot, lefty Ryan Borucki has been transferred to the 60-day IL. Borucki has already been on the IL for 60 days, landing there April 6 due to left triceps inflammation. He is eligible to be reinstated at any time but he has not yet begun a rehab assignment.

1:25pm: The Pirates are going to sign left-hander Justin Bruihl to a major league deal this afternoon, reports Alex Stumpf of MLB.com on X. They will need to make a corresponding move or moves to get him onto their 40-man and active rosters.

The lefty signed a minor league deal with the Reds in the offseason but was released earlier this week, per his transactions tracker at MLB.com. Speculatively speaking, it’s possible he had some kind of opt-out in his contract because his results have been pretty good so far this year.

Bruihl, 27 later this month, had been with Triple-A Louisville until recently. He threw 23 1/3 innings over 19 appearances for that club, allowing 2.31 earned runs per nine frames. His 10.3% walk rate in that time was a tad on the high side but he also struck out 24.7% of batters faced while getting grounders on 53.4% of balls in play.

That wasn’t enough to get him onto the big league roster in Cincinnati but the Pirates will bring him back to the majors. Bruihl had some good results for the Dodgers a couple of years ago but struggled last season. He had an ERA of 2.89 with Los Angeles in 2021 and then 3.80 the year after, but had some rough outings in 2023 and got flipped to the Rockies in a cash deal. He had a 5.46 ERA last year between those two clubs and was outrighted by Colorado.

He reached free agency at season’s end, which led to his minors deal with the Reds and he seems to have bounced back enough this year to have caught Pittsburgh’s attention. He’s generally been more of a ground ball guy in the majors, striking out just 15.6% of batters faced but keeping the ball on the ground 45.5% of the time.

The Bucs currently have Aroldis Chapman as the only lefty in their big league bullpen, so Bruihl will give them a second southpaw in the relief mix. Bruihl still has one option year remaining, giving the clubs the flexibility to send him to the minors in the future without exposing him to waivers. If he manages to hang onto his 40-man spot, the Bucs can keep him around for a long time. He came into 2024 with one year and 39 days of service time, 133 days short of the two-year mark. Since more than two months of the season have already passed, he doesn’t have enough days to get to that two-year line this year.

Central Notes: Grandal, Delay, Borucki, Gipson-Long, Edman, Martínez 

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Alex Stumpf of MLB.com offered a series of Pirates injury updates today.

Yasmani Grandal is still a few weeks away from coming off the injured list as he recovers from plantar fasciitis. However, he seems to be making good progress, and Stumpf reports that he will begin baserunning in the coming days. He has already been participating in simulated games. The two-time All-Star spent his last four seasons with the White Sox. His days as one of the best catchers in baseball are long behind him, but the Pirates are hoping he can be a capable veteran backup.

In less positive catching news, Jason Delay has been shut down from all baseball activities with little explanation. He has been on the IL since April 3 (retroactive to April 1) with right knee inflammation. The long-time minor leaguer had a mini breakout with the Pirates last year. Although his offensive numbers weren’t so impressive, he played 68 games behind the dish and put up strong defensive metrics, looking like a solid backup option.

On the pitching side, Ryan Borucki is recovering quickly from left triceps inflammation that landed him on the IL retroactive to April 6. Borucki, 30, entered the year hoping to follow up on a strong 2023 season in Pittsburgh. While the southpaw struggled through a pair of injury-riddled seasons with the Blue and Mariners in 2021 and ’22, he was a master of control for the Pirates in 2023. In 40 1/3 innings, Borucki walked just four batters. The only other pitcher with so few bases on balls (min. 30 IP) was Jacob deGrom. Stumpf notes that Borucki will begin playing catch soon, and he shouldn’t be on the IL for much longer than the minimum 15 days.

In other news from around the NL and AL Central:

  • The Tigers released a medical update today (shared by Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press) that revealed right-handed pitcher Sawyer Gipson-Long is dealing with right forearm tightness. He was already on the IL recovering from a groin strain. The 26-year-old is undergoing medical evaluation to determine the severity of the injury. Gipson-Long made four starts for the Tigers last year but retains his rookie eligibility for 2024. He is the team’s No. 10 prospect according to MLB Pipeline and No. 19 according to Baseball America.
  • Cardinals center fielder Tommy Edman has been approved to begin his hitting progression, reports Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. His first step is hitting off a tee. While Edman will still need plenty of preparation to transition from a tee to MLB-caliber pitching, this marks an important step in his recovery. The Gold Glove-winner has been sidelined all year with a wrist injury.
  • Guardians infield prospect Angel Martínez has been on the 10-day IL since Opening Day with a right foot contusion he suffered this spring. Today, he was sent to Triple-A Columbus for a rehab assignment. Although Martínez is on Cleveland’s 40-man roster, he has yet to make his MLB debut. He will likely stay at Triple-A once his rehab stint is up, where he will look to improve upon a poor showing at the plate last season. Martínez, 22, is widely considered a top-10 prospect in the Guardians system. He is a candidate to earn a call-up to the MLB squad in the event of an injury to another infielder.

Players Avoiding Arbitration: 11/17/23

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Tonight marks the deadline for teams to tender contracts to players who are eligible for arbitration. This evening should also see a handful of arb-eligible players agree to terms with their clubs to avoid a hearing.

These so-called “pre-tender deals” usually, although not always, involve players who were borderline non-tender candidates. Rather than run the risk of being cut loose, they can look to sign in the lead-up to the deadline. Those salaries often come in a little below projections, since these players tend to have less leverage because of the uncertainty about whether they’ll be offered a contract at all.

Under the 2022 collective bargaining agreement, players who sign to avoid an arbitration hearing are guaranteed full termination pay. That’s a change from prior CBAs, when teams could release an arb-eligible player before the season began and would only owe a prorated portion of the contract. This was done to incentivize teams and players to get deals done without going to a hearing.

All salary projections referenced are courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. This post will be updated throughout the night as deals are reported.

Latest Moves

  • The Orioles agreed to deals with outfielders Sam Hilliard and Ryan McKenna, reliever Keegan Akin and shortstop Jorge Mateo, as announced by the team. Mateo will make $2.7MM, as first reported by Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (X link). Jon Heyman of the New York Post has terms (on X) for Akin and Hilliard: $825K for the former, $800K for the latter.
  • Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski has a deal for $7.9MM, Heyman reports. That’s a little above his $7.3MM projection. Yastrzemski has one additional arbitration year remaining.
  • Reliever Yency Almonte and the Dodgers have agreed to a $1.9MM salary, per Heyman. That matches his projection.
  • Lefty reliever Ryan Borucki agreed to a contract with the Pirates, the team announced. Feinsand reports it as a $1.6MM deal. He was projected at $1.3MM.
  • The Rockies have a deal with lefty reliever Jalen Beeks, Heyman reports. He’ll make $1.675MM. Recently claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay, Beeks was projected at $1.8MM.
  • The Cubs announced a deal with third baseman Patrick Wisdom. Jesse Rogers of ESPN reports that the power-hitting infielder will make $2.725MM. That’s narrowly above a $2.6MM projection.
  • Outfielder DJ Stewart agreed to a deal with the Mets, per a club announcement. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports it’ll be for $1.38MM. Stewart had been projected at $1.5MM as an early qualifier via Super Two.
  • The Phillies announced deals with right-hander Dylan Covey, catcher Garrett Stubbs and outfielder Jake Cave. Terms were not disclosed.
  • The White Sox announced agreement with reliever Matt Foster on a deal for $750K, narrowly above the league minimum. The right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery in April.

Earlier Tonight

  • The Royals announced agreement with lefty reliever Josh Taylor. He’ll make $1.1MM, tweets Anne Rogers of MLB.com. Acquired from the Red Sox last winter, Taylor allowed an 8.15 ERA over 17 2/3 innings before undergoing season-ending back surgery. He was projected for a $1.3MM salary.
  • The Athletics announced today that they have agreed to one-year deals with infielders Miguel Andujar and Abraham Toro. The club claimed Andujar off waivers from Pittsburgh earlier this month and swung a deal to acquire Toro from the Brewers earlier this week. Andujar hit .250/.300/.476 in 90 trips to the plate in the majors this year while Toro appeared in just nine games at the big league level but slashed .444/.524/.778 in that extremely limited action. Andujar will make $1.7MM (Heyman link); Toro is set for a $1.275MM salary.
  • The Giants have a deal with outfielder Austin Slater for $4MM, reports Craig Mish of SportsGrid (X link). That’s a little north of his $3.6MM projected salary. Slater has over five years of service time and will be a free agent next offseason. The right-handed hitter is coming off a .270/.348/.400 showing over 89 games. He’s a career .285/.374/.463 batter against left-handed pitching but owns a .227/.314/.333 mark versus righties.

Pirates Place Jose Hernandez On 15-Day IL, Select Ryan Borucki

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The Pirates placed left-hander Jose Hernandez on the 15-day injured list due to a right calf strain.  Taking Hernandez’s place in the bullpen is veteran Ryan Borucki, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Indianapolis.  No further transaction was necessary to create room for Borucki, since the Pirates already had only 39 players on their 40-man roster.

Hernandez was the third pick in last December’s Rule 5 draft, with Pittsburgh selecting the southpaw out of the Dodgers’ farm system.  The 25-year-old hadn’t yet pitched in Triple-A before jumping right to the Pirates’ Opening Day roster, but Hernandez has looked very sharp in his rookie season.  Over 27 1/3 innings out of the Bucs’ bullpen, Hernandez has a 2.63 ERA, an above-average 25.7% strikeout rate, and a borderline elite 5.5% walk rate.  Batters haven’t made much hard contact against Hernandez, and his slider has quickly become a devastating weapon.

R5 draft picks must remain on a team’s big league roster for the entire season or else be offered back to their original club, and while a Rule 5 player can be on the IL, they have to clock at least 90 days on the active roster.  Hernandez isn’t quite at 90 days yet, but he’ll easily clear that threshold assuming his calf injury isn’t serious.  Beyond Hernandez’s R5 status is the bigger issue of how his absence will further impact an injury-riddled Pirates bullpen — Hernandez, Colin Holderman, and Rob Zastryzny on the 15-day IL, while Jarlin Garcia (who has yet to pitch at all this season) and Wil Crowe are on the 60-day IL.

Borucki signed a minor league deal with the Pirates in May, after he elected free agency rather than accept an outright assignment to the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate.  Chicago inked the lefty to a minor league deal during the offseason, and designated him for assignment just a few days after selecting his contract to the 26-man roster (without Borucki ever appearing in a game).

Borucki now looks primed to make his first official appearance of the 2023 campaign, which will make it six MLB seasons for the left-hander.  Borucki has a 4.45 ERA over 170 career innings with the Blue Jays and Mariners, working exclusively as a reliever since 2020.  There has been a lot of inconsistency in Borucki’s work over the years, as he has very prone to allowing home runs and has occasionally struggled with control.

Pirates, Ryan Borucki Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Pirates and left-hander Ryan Borucki have agreed to a minor league deal, per the team’s transactions log at MLB.com. Borucki elected free agency earlier in the week after the Cubs passed him through waivers unclaimed.

Borucki, 29, has logged big league time in each of the past five seasons — the vast majority coming as a member of the Blue Jays. He posted a 3.87 ERA in 17 starts as a rookie back in 2018 but has pitched almost exclusively out of the bullpen since, due in large part to elbow surgery that wiped out most of his 2019 season. Since returning, the left-hander has posted a 4.66 ERA in 65 2/3 big league innings, fanning 22.3% of his opponents against a 12% walk rate.

Borucki opened the 2023 season with the Cubs’ top affiliate in Iowa, where he was roughed up for a dozen runs on 13 hits and six walks with 11 strikeouts in nine innings. In need of a fresh arm for the bullpen, the Cubs selected Borucki’s contract in late April, but he was designated for assignment before even getting into a game.

It’s been a tough few years for Borucki, but even when struggling to a 5.68 ERA in 25 1/3 innings between Toronto and Seattle in 2022, the southpaw averaged 95.1 mph on his sinker and posted a strong 12% swinging-strike rate. He’s moved away from his changeup and begun to rely primarily on his sinker and slider over the past two seasons, which has helped him up his ground-ball rate to a hefty 54.3% in that time.

The Bucs currently have lefty relievers Jarlin Garcia and Rob Zastryzny on the injured list. Garcia, notably, is on the 60-day and does not have a timetable for his return. Rule 5 pick Jose Hernandez has been the only left-handed option in manager Derek Shelton’s bullpen for the past couple weeks. Borucki won’t immediately be added to the mix, but he gives the Pirates an experienced option to take a look at in Triple-A.

Ryan Borucki Elects Free Agency

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TODAY: The Cubs announced that Borucki has opted for free agency rather than accept the outright assignment.

MAY 5: Cubs reliever Ryan Borucki has gone unclaimed on waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Iowa, tweets Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Borucki has the right to decline the assignment in favor of minor league free agency based on a previous career outright and having over three years of major league service. According to Bastian, the left-hander is still deciding whether to accept the assignment.

Borucki signed a minor league deal with Chicago over the offseason. The Cubs selected his contract at the end of April. He was on the MLB roster for two days and didn’t get into a game before being designated for assignment. While he’s yet to pitch in the majors this season, the Illinois native reached the highest level every year between 2018-22.

The bulk of that experience came with the Blue Jays, who initially drafted Borucki in the 15th round back in 2012. Borucki had some success early in his career but has struggled in the last few years. Since the start of the 2021 campaign, he carries a 5.33 ERA with a 20.1% strikeout rate and lofty 10.5% walk percentage in 49 innings.

Borucki has been off to a rough start to the year in Iowa. Prior to his call-up, he was tagged for 13 runs (12 earned) in nine innings. He punched out 11 and induced ground-balls at a quality 51.7% clip but walked six of 49 batters faced.

Cubs Designate Ryan Borucki For Assignment

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The Cubs have made a couple of roster moves today, per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune. They have recalled catcher Miguel Amaya and designated left-hander Ryan Borucki for assignment.

This series of moves was prompted by an injury to Yan Gomes, who was hit in the head by a backswing yesterday and removed in the second inning. That left Tucker Barnhart as the only healthy backstop on the roster, which led the Cubs to call on Amaya.

The 24-year-old has had a long journey to get here, having been signed as an international amateur out of Panama back in 2015. He’s been considered one of the club’s more notable prospects for quite some time, with Baseball America ranking him #2 in the system in 2019. He was added to the club’s 40-man roster at the end of that year in order to protect him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft.

The minor leagues were canceled by the pandemic in 2020 and then Amaya only played 23 games in 2021, eventually requiring Tommy John surgery that wiped out a lot of his 2022 as well. Due to those factors, he’s only played 76 minor league games since the end of 2019, missing out on a big chunk of development time.

He’s off to a great start here this year, having hit .273/.411/.659 in 13 Double-A games. The injury to Gomes will give him a chance to skip Triple-A, at least for the moment, and make his major league debut as soon as he’s put into a game. Gomes is still under evaluation, per Montemurro, and the extent of his injury will likely impact how long Amaya is up in the majors.

As for Borucki, he was just selected to the club’s roster on the weekend and now gets designated for assignment without even getting into a game. A former starter with the Blue Jays, he’s converted to relief in recent years with mixed results. He had a 2.70 ERA in 2020 but that jumped to 4.94 and 5.68 in recent years as his strikeout rate dipped in kind, going from 28.8% to 21.4% and 18.9%.

The Cubs will have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers though the interest might be muted given his struggles in recent years. He’s also posted an ERA of 12.00 in Triple-A so far this year. In the event he clears waivers, he would have the right to elect free agency, both on account of having a previous career outright and having more than three years of major league service time.

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