The Pirates announced Wednesday that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Tanner Anderson from Triple-A Indianapolis and placed infielder/outfielder Sean Rodriguez on the 10-day DL with a strained right quadriceps. Right-hander A.J. Schugel was moved from the 10-day DL to the 60-day DL to clear a 40-man roster spot.
[Related: Pittsburgh Pirates depth chart]
Anderson, 25, was the Pirates’ 20th-round pick back in the 2015 draft. While he’s never been considered to be among the organization’s very best prospects, he’s steadily risen through the ranks and been a steadily above-average performer along the way. This season in Triple-A has been no exception, as he’s worked to a tidy 2.34 ERA through 34 2/3 innings of relief work.
Anderson has never posted especially impressive strikeout numbers and is averaging just 6.2 whiffs per nine innings pitched in 2018. However, he’s long demonstrated outstanding control and has posted a ground-ball rate of at least 61.3 percent at each minor league stop. The Pirates shifted Anderson from the rotation to a relief role last season, and he’ll carry a gaudy 65.7 percent grounder rate with him to the Pittsburgh bullpen.
As for Rodriguez, the 33-year-old has struggled immensely at the dish in each of the past two seasons. Signed by the Braves a two-year contract in November 2016, Rodriguez suffered a shoulder injury in a car accident later that offseason and wound up missing a significant chunk of the 2017 season. He was traded back to the Pirates last summer, but the early struggles he had in Atlanta carried over to his return trip to the Buccos. Over the past two seasons, Rodriguez is hitting .157/.273/.285 in 290 plate appearances.
