Pirates Designate Reliever for Assignment to Make Room for Starter

It’s only mildly surprising that the Pirates have chosen to move on from Cabrera. Kelly likes to use his left-handed relievers in left-on-left situations more than his predecessor, Derek Shelton, and this move leaves Ryan Borucki as the sole left-hander in the Pirates’ bullpen. Then again, Cabrera wasn’t consistently effective for Pittsburgh since joining them in June. In nine games covering 11 innings, he gave up six earned runs on 12 hits. He was scored upon in four of his nine games, which doesn’t quite cut it in late relief. For three teams this season, he posted a 5.79 ERA and 1.286 WHIP in 24 games.

Walks have plagued Cabrera in previous years, but he seems to have that under control, no pun intended. This season, he has walked 2.3 batters per nine innings, translating to a six per cent walk rate. Those numbers were even better with the Pirates, as Cabrera walked 0.8 per nine and 2.2 per cent in his brief time. Teams may be willing to take a flyer on a left-hander with that kind of control.

Oviedo’s Debut

Meanwhile, the focus in Pittsburgh will be on Oviedo’s long-awaited 2025 debut. Oviedo and minor league infielder Malcom Nuñez were obtained in a 2022 deadline deal from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for pitchers Jose Quintana and Chris Stratton. The Pirates called Oviedo up in September of that year. He became a mainstay in the rotation from then through the 2023 season. During that time, he was 11-16 with a 4.15 ERA and 1.358 WHIP. The highlight of his Pirates career was a complete game, two-hit shutout in Kansas City on August 28, 2023.

Alas, Oviedo underwent the dreaded Tommy John surgery in December 2023. As a result, he missed the entire 2024 season. His return to action suffered a setback in spring training when he strained a lat muscle. He was placed on the 60-day IL on March 30. Finally, he returns to the big time after posting a 3.12 ERA and 1.038 WHIP at three minor league levels during his rehab assignment.