Pirates activate righty Roansy Contreras, option lefty Jose Hernandez to Triple-A
Ahead of their series finale Sunday at the Miami Marlins, the Pittsburgh Pirates made a handful of roster moves, activating right-handed pitcher Roansy Contreras from the MLB paternity leave list and optioning lefty Jose Hernandez to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Contreras, 24, went 0-2 with a 5.65 ERA over seven Spring Training appearances with the Pirates, three of which were starts, walking 14 and striking out 13 in 14 1/3 innings of work.
The spring results were hardly encouraging for Contreras, whose 2023 regular season was derailed by velocity, control and overall performance issues that saw him sent to Low-A Bradenton in July to rework his pitching mechanics.
However, he did make the Pirates’ Opening Day roster.
Last year, Contreras was 3-7 with a 6.59 ERA, splitting time between the bullpen and starting rotation.
The Pirates are hopeful he can return to his 2022 rookie form, when he impressed with a 5-5 record, 3.79 ERA and 86 strikeouts over 95 innings.
Hernandez, 26, had a solid spring with the Pirates, going 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in six relief appearances.
He followed that up with two scoreless outings in the Pirates’ opening series vs. the Marlins, notching his first MLB save in the process when the Pirates beat Miami, 6-5, in Thursday’s 12-inning season opener.
Hernandez joined the Pirates in the 2022 offseason as a waiver pickup from the Los Angeles Dodgers’ farm system.
As a rookie last year with the Pirates, he appeared in 50 games, going 1-3 with a 4.97 ERA.
Additionally, outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba and catcher Ali Sanchez, who were designated for assignment on March 28, cleared waivers and were assigned to Indianapolis.
Sanchez, who signed a minor-league deal with the Pirates last December, has opted to become a free agent.
Smith-Njigba has had an interesting start to 2024.
Designated for assignment by the Pirates at the end of January, the Seattle Mariners scooped him up soon thereafter, only to jettison him Feb. 17.
Two days later, he was back in the Pirates organization thanks to yet another waiver claim.
Smith-Njigba, 24, was the Pirates’ Opening Day right fielder in 2023 but struggled at the plate, hitting .125 through 15 games in Pittsburgh.
He spent the majority of the year with the Indianapolis Indians and had more success there, as he hit .280 with 15 homers and 74 RBIs in 105 games.
Justin Guerriero is a TribLive reporter covering the Penguins, Pirates and college sports. A Pittsburgh native, he is a Central Catholic and University of Colorado graduate. He joined the Trib in 2022 after covering the Colorado Buffaloes for Rivals and freelancing for the Denver Post. He can be reached at jguerriero@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.