The Pittsburgh Pirates added bullpen depth Tuesday when they claimed right-handed reliever Eli Villalobos off waivers from the Miami Marlins.
Villalobos was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. To make room on the 40-man roster, shortstop Oneil Cruz (fractured left ankle) was transferred from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL.
The 6-foot-4, 195-pound Villalobos was 5-2 with a 2.86 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 101 strikeouts and 29 walks in 78 2/3 innings over 52 appearances last season, split between Double-A Penscola and Triple-A Jacksonville.
Villalobos was 3-2 with a 3.38 ERA last year at Pensacola, recording 75 strikeouts against 21 walks in 61 1/3 innings over 40 appearances. He was 2-0 with a 1.04 ERA, 26 strikeouts and eight walks in 17 1/3 innings over 12 games at Jacksonville last season.
Villalobos didn’t make the cut at spring training and was designated for assignment by the Marlins on April 9 after he got off to a rough start this season. In 4 2/3 innings over three appearances at Jacksonville, he allowed six earned runs on four hits (two home runs), with as many walks as strikeouts (seven).
Villalobos has three minor league options remaining, giving the Pirates the flexibility to promote him when needed.
“Big arm, had some success last year,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “I know he’s off to a tough start this year. Fastball-changeup mix, which we like, and he’s an optionable reliever. As we talked about, having guys that are optionable is important to us as we move forward.”
