The Pittsburgh Pirates made roster moves Monday involving a pair of first-round draft picks — one expected and one a surprise — and two players acquired in major trades.
The Pirates selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester, a 2019 first-rounder, and recalled catcher Endy Rodriguez and shortstop Liover Peguero from Triple-A Indianapolis. All three are considered top-10 prospects in the Pirates’ system, and Rodriguez is ranked a top-100 prospect by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline.
Rodriguez, 23, was acquired from the New York Mets in the three-team trade that sent pitcher Joe Musgrove to the San Diego Padres in January 2021. Peguero, 22, was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for All-Star outfielder Starling Marte in January 2020.
To make room on the 40-man roster for Priester, the Pirates designated outfielder Travis Swaggerty for assignment. Swaggerty, 25, was considered their center fielder of the future when selected No. 10 overall out of South Alabama in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft but has been sidetracked by injuries and illness throughout his career.
Swaggerty batted .250/.341/.388 in 314 games over five seasons in the minor leagues. He spent the 2020 pandemic season at the alternate training site in Altoona, then missed most of the following season after undergoing shoulder surgery. He played five games for the Pirates last season, going 1 for 9 with four strikeouts. Swaggerty batted .200 with four doubles, two triples, one home run and five RBIs in 17 games at Indy this season while missing considerable time this season with illness and his wife battling cancer.
The Pirates also optioned right-handed reliever Cody Bolton, catcher Jason Delay and outfielder Josh Palacios to Indianapolis.
