Pirates Adding Veteran Relief Pitcher to Roster
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have made a number of moves concerning their bullpen this season and have now brought up a veteran that should help them moving forward.
Alex Stumpf reported that the Pirates are bringing up right-handed pitcher Chris Devenski up from Triple-A Indianapolis for their series vs. the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park.
The Pirates will have to add Devenski not just to the 26-man roster, but also to the 40-man roster, meaning that they'll make two moves, sending someone down to Triple-A and then designating another player for assignment.
One of those moves was sending down left-handed pitcher Hunter Barco back to Indianapolis, who they had pitch in their most recent game and called up the day prior, according to Jason Mackey of MLB.com.
It's another move the Pirates are making to make sure they have available arms in their bullpen so that they can stay in the middle of a competitive race for the National League Central Division.
Why the Pirates are Making This Move
The Pirates have gone through their bullpen heavily these past few games, which is also a part of 13 straight games with out a day off and 23 games in 24 days.
Pittsburgh has seen their bullpen throw 23 innings over the past four games, which included a bullpen game on April 27 in the series opener vs. the Cardinals, which went well, but also resulted in fewer arms ready for the next few games.
The Pirates brought up Cam Sanders when Braxton Ashcraft went on the Major League Bereavement/Family Medical Emergency List, had him pitch two games and sent him down.
Pittsburgh also used rookies in Wilber Dotel, who threw four scoreless innings on April 27, and then called up Barco, who threw 4.2 innings in the 11-7 defeat to the Cardinals on April 28.
The Pirates need more veteran arms in their bullpen and this move gives them someone who they can go to for the upcoming games and going forward.
What to Know About Chris Devenski
Devenski signed a minor league deal with the Pirates, was a non-roster invitee to Spring Training and pitched in six games, posting a 6.75 ERA over 5.1 innings, a .381 batting average allowed and a 1.69 WHIP.
He took a batted ball to the head during a Spring Training game, which put him on the injured list, but went on a rehab assignment for Single-A and then made his way back to Triple-A on April 10.
Devesnski has pitched in five games and started one for Indianapolis, posting a 1.13 ERA over eight innings, 14 strikeouts to two walks, a .143 BAA and a 0.75 WHIP.
He is a 10-year MLB veteran, who most recently posted a finished with a 2.16 ERA in 13 games with the New York Mets last season.
Devenski pitched for the Houston Astros for most of his career, five seasons from 2016-20, where he earned an All-Star nod as a rookie in 2016 and won the World Series in 2017.
He'll throw more offspeed than high velocity, relying on the changeup and sweeper, while still using a cutter and four-seam fastball at times as well.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.