BRADENTON, Fla. — In a move to make room for an eighth relief pitcher on the opening day roster, the Pirates optioned Jose Osuna to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday morning. Additionally, relief pitcher Kyle Crick was optioned to Triple-A, and relief pitcher Kevin Siegrist was reassigned to minor-league camp.
Jordan Milbrath, the right-handed pitcher selected in the Rule 5 draft, no longer has a locker stall at LECOM Park, indicating he likely has been placed on waivers. Although Neal Huntington would not confirm Milbrath's status, he indicated that left-hander Josh Smoker, right-hander Dovydas Neverauskas and right-hander Edgar Santana are in line to earn the final roster spots.
However, Huntington could choose to pursue external options since many players are now available via waivers.
"We had a handful of hard decisions as we near the end of camp," Huntington said. "Jose was one, especially with what he did last year, basically the whole year with us. … It's good, man. He’s gotten better. He’s worked hard. We do have the opportunity now to get him some significant time at third base in Triple-A to see if we can speed up that development process. We are going with an eight-man bullpen. We feel like it’s the best way to get us off to a good start from a pitching standpoint. The three games in Detroit with the DH help, but I would anticipate, especially with the 10 days a player has to be down on option, that we’ll be at an eight-man bullpen for longer than that."
The decision to option Osuna wasn't based on production. The 25-year-old batted .327 this spring with a team-high five home runs and 16 RBIs in 49 at-bats. He also has looked sharp at third base — a position he has yet to play in a regular season minor-league or major-league game.
He's stuck behind David Freese on the organization's depth chart, though. Freese can play both first and third base and is an above-average defender at the latter. The Pirates won't need to give Josh Bell much time off, since the 25-year-old played 159 games last season and plans to do the same in 2018.
Also, Osuna can only play right field in certain ballparks. The versatility of Freese, Sean Rodriguez and Adam Frazier made an additional bench bat unnecessary, at least in the interim. Huntington said Osuna is now in line to be the first position player called upon if or when the Pirates need an additional bat off the bench, or if an injury occurs to a position player on the major-league roster.
Crick, the 25-year-old relief pitcher acquired in the Andrew McCutchen trade, has struggled this spring with an ERA of 5.73, but his inability to throw an effective slider is more troubling. His four-seam fastball can reach the upper 90s, but he's far too predictable if he's unable to throw his slider.
With outfielder Bryan Reynolds expected to begin the season at Double-A, neither player acquired for McCutchen will be on the opening day roster.
"It's a fair [criticism]," Huntington said. "We understand that it would have been easy to put Kyle on the club because of who he was traded for, but we took the players we felt put us in the best position to win games early on in the season. Kyle is going to help us, and our belief is still there that he's going to be a really good major-league reliever for years to come. Bryan Reynolds is a young prospect we think the world of. This decision was about the longer-term view with the attempt to keep the short-term in a similar area."
Siegrist, 28, was signed as a minor-league free agent last month after he had an injury-plagued season in 2017. He was one of the top left-handed relief pitchers for the Cardinals prior to that, but his velocity has dipped, and he has struggled with command. Siegrist has a 7.94 ERA this spring, allowing five earned runs in 5 2/3 innings.
"He's had more velocity when he's had his better seasons," Huntington said. "There has been a trend downward in the overall velocity and the average velocity, and that continued here this spring. ... Our thought in this process is let him continue to go build arm strength, let him continue to get back to that guy that was effective in '16 and prior to that."
Siegrist can opt out of his contract if he receives a major-league contract from another team, although the Pirates could add him to the roster if a team tries to do so. He can also leave on June 1 to pursue any other opportunity.
Felipe Rivero, George Kontos, Michael Feliz, Steven Brault and Tyler Glasnow have also made the team's bullpen. Smoker, 29, received a more glowing review from Ray Searage following his scoreless inning on Sunday. He has a 1.26 WHIP in 10 1/3 innings this spring, and left-handed hitters are batting only .188 against him.
Neverauskas had a tough one-week stretch earlier this month where he allowed six earned runs in four innings, but he has pitched three scoreless innings since. The Pirates coveted a relief pitcher that is able to induce ground balls, which is one of his strengths.
The same can be said for Milbrath. If he is indeed on waivers, the Pirates will be required to offer him back to the Indians, and his former club surely will want him back. Milbrath began throwing sidearm last spring, and the transformation led to a breakthrough. His velocity is up, and he has become an effective ground-ball pitcher. However, he still struggles to repeat his delivery, which leads to bouts of poor fastball command. That was evident throughout this spring, as he allowed eight earned runs with eight walks in 8 1/3 innings.
Santana, 26, has a 0.86 WHIP and 3.86 ERA this spring. He hasn't pitched in a Grapefruit League game in six days, although he's scheduled to throw Monday. He has two minor-league options remaining.
"Some things still could change," Huntington said. "It's been a busy morning. We have a few variables and a few options we can go to if the Siegrist scenario becomes a reality. If we have to add him [to the 25-man roster] and we decide to add him, there's a couple moves we could make. ... We typically like to set the club as early as we can, but there are injuries and variables that pop up that could still be possible."
• A.J. Schugel, a right-hander out of minor-league options, will begin the season on the disabled list. He has been sidelined since late last month with right shoulder discomfort.