Pirates Have One Roster Decision Left Before Opening Day
· Yahoo Sports
The Pittsburgh Pirates have one decision to make to finalize their opening-day roster.
The Pirates are down to 27 players in their spring training camp, one over the opening-day limit. To get down to 26 by Thursday when they open the season against the Mets, Pittsburgh must drop one of three pitchers – rookie left-hander Hunter Barco or veteran right-handers Mike Clevinger or Jose Urquidy.
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The two who survive the last cut will work as long relievers.
Working against Clevinger is that he is in camp on a minor-league contract. The Pirates would need to clear a spot on the 40-man roster if he makes the team.
Clevinger has allowed eight runs in 14 1/3 innings in Grapefruit League play for a 5.02 ERA. He has 15 strikeouts but also 10 walks.
Barco has been impressive with a 2.89 ERA. He has struck out 12 in 9 1/3 innings while giving up three earned runs and walking six.
Barco made his major-league debut during the final week of last season and pitched three scoreless innings over two relief appearances. Baseball America ranks the 25-year-old as Pittsburgh's No. 9 prospect.
Like Barco, Urquidy is on the 40-man roster. However, Urquidy has struggled this spring, posting a 9.28 ERA while allowing 11 runs on 15 hits, striking out eight and walking three.
The rest of the roster is set after the Pirates made a flurry of roster moves on Sunday. Right-hander Cam Sanders and catcher/first baseman Rafael Flores were optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis, and left-hander Joe La Sorsa, right-handers Chris Devenski and Carson Fulmer, and infielder Alika Williams were reassigned to minor-league camp.
Pittsburgh will begin the season with an all-right-handed rotation of 2025 National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Carmen Mlodzinski, Braxton Ashcraft, and rookie Bubba Chandler.
Closer Dennis Santana is assured a spot in the bullpen along with left-handers Gregory Soto and Mason Montgomery, and right-handers Isaac Mattson, Justin Lawrence, and Yohan Ramirez.
The most interesting decision among the position players is that Nick Gonzales will open the season at third base, and Jared Triolo will be the regular shortstop. Going into spring training, it looked as though Triolo would play third base, and Gonzales would be the starting shortstop if top prospect Konnor Griffin did not make the team. Griffin was reassigned to the minor-league camp on Saturday.
Joey Bart and Henry Davis are expected to split time at catcher, with the rest of the lineup consisting of first baseman Spencer Horwitz, second baseman Brandon Lowe, left fielder Bryan Reynolds, center fielder Oneil Cruz, right fielder Ryan O’Hearn, and designated hitter Marcell Ozuna.
Infielder/outfielder Nick Yorke, outfielder/first baseman Billy Cook, and outfielder Nick Mangum won bench jobs.
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