Pirates claim utilityman Ronny Simon from Marlins, DFA reliever Tanner Rainey

The Pittsburgh Pirates claimed infielder/outfielder Ronny Simon off waivers from the Miami Marlins on Monday afternoon.

Simon, 25, was immediately optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis.

In a corresponding transaction, reliever Tanner Rainey was designated for assignment, creating a spot for Simon on the 40-man roster.

Simon made his MLB debut with Miami on April 21.

He appeared in 19 games with the Marlins, slashing .234/.327/.277 with no homers, two doubles and seven RBIs over 47 at-bats.

A 5-foot-8 switch hitter, Simon was designated for assignment by Miami on May 30.

At Triple-A Jacksonville, he was batting .354 with a homer and nine RBIs in 15 contests.

Originally an international free agent signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2018 by the Chicago Cubs, Simon was involved in trades with the Arizona Diamondbacks (2020) and Tampa Bay Rays (2021) before electing free agency from the Rays organization in late 2024.

This past November, he joined the Marlins on a minor-league contract.

Spending the 2024 campaign with Tampa Bay’s Triple-A club, the Durham Bulls, Simon slashed .283/.356/.429 with 30 doubles, 10 homers and 56 RBIs in 130 games.

As he joins the Indianapolis Indians, Simon has appeared in 558 minor-league games with 66 homers, 293 RBIs and a career .266 batting average.

Defensively, Simon has embraced a utility role coming up through the minor leagues.

He has 300 career starts at second base, 73 at shortstop, 57 at third base and 42 in left field.

This season with Triple-A Jacksonville, he’d split time at second base (11 starts) and third base (three starts).

The Marlins deployed him at left field and second base.

As for Rainey, he is designated for assignment one night removed from being the losing pitcher in Sunday’s series finale vs. the San Diego Padres, in which he allowed four runs in a 6-4 defeat.

On the year, Rainey was 0-1 with a 10.57 ERA and 1.70 WHIP in 11 appearances (7 2/3 innings).