The Pirates placed Bryse Wilson and Anthony Alford on the IL Sunday, per a team announcement. Ben Gamel has come off the IL to take one of the roster spots, with the other going to Dillon Peters, who was recalled from Triple-A. Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette spoke to Pirates general manager Ben Cherington, who said that Alford is dealing with back spasms, while Wilson’s IL placement is mostly about rest from fatigue.
Wilson, the 23-year-old righty, was just recently acquired from Atlanta in the Richard Rodriguez trade. In 48 2/3 innings this year between the two clubs, he has an ERA of 5.55. His strikeout rate is well below average, at 14.5%, but he has a decent walk rate of 7%. The Pirates can afford to be cautious with his workload, given that they’re nowhere near competing for the postseason. Their .359 winning percentage is better than only three teams in the majors.
For Alford, this is another frustrating hurdle in a challenging season. He struggled out of the gate and was designated for assignment by Pittsburgh in April. However, after being assigned to the minors, he completely turned things around and was nothing short of magnificent. His line through 226 plate appearances at Triple-A this year was .307/.420/.593, producing a wRC+ of 167. This performance forced the Pirates to give him another shot at the big leagues, which they did August 7. Now, after just five games since having his contract selected, he will have to go on the shelf for at least 10 days.
For Peters, this will be his first time in the majors since coming to the Pirates from the Angels in July. He had been designated for assignment when the Angels signed Adam Eaton, heading to Pittsburgh in exchange for cash considerations. The 28-year-old lefty has logged 53 1/3 innings at Triple-A this year, between the two organizations, with an ERA of 3.71, a strikeout rate of 27.8% and a walk rate of 8.4%.
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