Jordan Milbrath, the side-armed relief pitcher chosen by the Pirates in the Rule 5 draft, was officially returned to the Indians on Tuesday. Additionally, Jack Leathersich, a left-handed reliever, was claimed off waivers by Cleveland, opening two more spots on the club's 40-man roster.
Milbrath, a 26-year-old who has yet to pitch in Triple-A, had a 8.64 ERA and 2.16 WHIP in 8 1/3 innings for the Pirates this spring, walking eight batters and striking out eight. Although Neal Huntington declined to comment on Milbrath's status Monday morning, the right-hander's locker stall at LECOM Park was empty prior to first pitch against the Phillies.
With outfielder Bryce Brentz claimed off waivers by the Mets, the Pirates now have three open spots on their 40-man roster.
Milbrath didn’t even use the side-armed delivery until after spring training last season. He had pitched just 2 1/3 innings at Double-A prior to 2017 and was not among the Indians’ non-roster invitees last spring. Milbrath had not shown signs of being ready for a promotion, either, recording a 5.32 ERA the previous season.
The change led to a breakthrough. Milbrath had a 3.02 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in 56 2/3 innings between High-A Lynchburg and Double-A Akron, producing ground-ball rates of 75.9 and 69.4 percent at both stops, respectively. To compare, the Blue Jays’ Marcus Stroman led the majors with a ground-ball rate of 62 percent last season.
Milbrath’s four-seam fastball reached 99 mph and right-handed batters hit only .194 against him. He had 63 strikeouts to 25 walks, but he struggled to get left-handed hitters out. Those issues continued against major league hitters this spring.
Leathersich, 27, had a 1.15 WHIP in 4 1/3 innings for the Pirates last season after being claimed off waivers from the Cubs in September.
The Pirates paid $100,000 to select Milbrath in the Rule 5 draft, but he had to go through waivers after not making the club's 25-man roster. Since he went unclaimed, the Pirates offered him back to the Indians, who will pay $50,000 for Milbrath.