Pirates general manager Ben Cherington told reporters (including Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) that right-hander Peter Strzelecki will be designated for assignment. The move opens up a 40-man roster spot for Ryan Borucki, as reports over the weekend indicated that the southpaw’s contract would be selected.
This is the third time Strzelecki has been designated for assignment within the last 366 days, and his first two trips into DFA saw the righty get traded elsewhere. It was almost exactly a year ago that the Guardians acquired Strzelecki for cash considerations after the Diamondbacks designated him, and Strzelecki went on to post a 2.31 ERA in the small sample size of 11 2/3 big league innings out of Cleveland’s bullpen. The Guards DFA’ed Strzelecki in November, and he then went to the Pirates in another cash deal.
With only a 7.00 ERA to show from nine innings (across nine appearances) this spring, Strzelecki didn’t make a great case for himself in trying to win a job on Pittsburgh’s roster. Strzelecki is out of minor league options and thus couldn’t have been sent down to the minors without first being DFA’ed, and yet the the Pirates still decided to go with Borucki, who posted far better numbers in Grapefruit League action.
Strzelecki has pitched in each of the last three MLB seasons, delivering a respectable 3.44 ERA, 24% strikeout rate, and 8.4% walk rate across 83 2/3 frames with the Brewers, D’Backs, and Guardians. He spent most of the 2024 season at Cleveland’s Triple-A affiliate, posting a 5.01 ERA and pretty solid peripherals over 46 2/3 innings, as a .352 BABIP may have been the chief reason for Strzelecki’s inflated ERA.