CHICAGO -- The Pirates made a trio of pitching transactions ahead of their series opener with the Cubs Thursday, optioning Roansy Contreras to Class AAA Indianapolis, selecting the contract off Chase De Jong from Indianapolis and designating Luis Oviedo for assignment.
Contreras, 22, is the Pirates' top pitching prospect and has done well out of the bullpen, striking out 10 over 7 2/3 innings with just three runs allowed thus far.
However, the Pirates want to stretch him out so he can start this year, manager Derek Shelton said.
"We view him as a starter," Shelton said in Wrigley Field's dugout. "I think we feel, organizationally, that he's going to have impact as a starter this year, and we've got to get him stretched out. The other day, he was at three [innings] and 37, 38 [pitches]. We've got to get him starts four and 60 his next time and five and 75 and get him built up. We talk developmentally with people, this is a development thing. We've got to get him stretched out to get back here and be a starter."
Contreras and the coaching staff talked about areas of development they would like to see from the right-hander, which Shelton declined to share with the media.
When asked why Contreras couldn't be stretched out int he majors, Shelton cited the development angle against and said that "we felt it was best for it to happen in Indy."
Despite being called up before the second game of the season because Duane Underwood Jr. suffered a hamstring injury, Contreras would have accrued a full year of service time had he stayed with the Pirates all season.
Oviedo, 23, was selected by the Pirates in the Rule 5 draft last year and stayed with the team the entire season. The results were not flattering, recording an 8.80 ERA over 29 2/3 innings, but that was somewhat expected for someone who had never pitched above Class A. While raw and spotty with his command last year, he did show occasional flashes of his promise.
Oviedo had just completed a rehab assignment Monday for a right ankle injury and was optioned to Class AA Altoona.
Shelton said Oviedo was a "roster casualty" because of the necessity of adding a fresh arm to the bullpen, and that he hoped that Oviedo would clear waivers to remain with the organization.
De Jong re-signed as a minor-league free agent during spring training after making nine starts with the Pirates in 2021. In those outings, he recorded a 5.77 ERA with 39 strikeouts over 43 2/3 innings.
With Indianapolis, he recorded a 2.08 ERA over his 13 innings pitched there, striking out 19 and contributing to a combined no-hitter on April 13.
De Jong is in Chicago and will be available this series. While he will almost surely be used out of the bullpen, he says he has not been told what his role will be.
