Pittsburgh Pirates Return Josh Rodriguez to Indians

The Pittsburgh Pirates selected middle infielder Josh Rodriguez from the Cleveland Indians in last year’s Rule 5 MLB draft. After claiming LA Angels’ middle infielder Brandon Wood this month, the Pirates simply didn’t have any room on the roster for Rodriguez. Since he was a Rule 5 draft selection, he could not be placed in the minors. The Pirates had to offer him back to the Indians, who paid the Bucs a fee of $25,000, half of the fee paid by Pittsburgh to take J-Rod in the first place. The 26-year-old was 1-for-12 with the Pirates this season.