I bet quite a few people did not even know Jose Ascanio was still in the organization. He has been on the disabled list almost every day he has been with the club since being acquired in the Tom Gorzelanny/John Grabow deal with the Cubs. However, his rehab officially ended and the Pirates had to decide on something to do with him. Turns out Crotta's elbow injury opens up a spot for him quite conveniently.
After being acquired from the Cubs, Ascanio threw just 2.2 innings in 2009 before landing on the DL. He threw a total of 3 innings last year in the minors while on rehab and has now completed 11 innings of work this season between Bradenton and Indianapolis. He didn't have much success in those 11 innings as he gave up 11 earned runs on 15 hits and 5 walks, but it really isn't enough work to judge someone on.
Over 39.2 innings spread out over 3 seasons in the Majors, Ascanio has a 4.99 ERA with 36 strikeouts and 19 walks. Pirates' GM Neal Huntington said earl...
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