Pirates release Phillip Evans, Tanner Anderson, Taylor Davis to reduce 40-man roster to 37
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced Tuesday night the release of three players from their 40-man roster in advance of Friday’s deadline to protect prospects from the Rule 5 Draft.
The Pirates released right-handed pitcher Tanner Anderson, catcher Taylor Davis and infielder/outfielder Phillip Evans, reducing the 40-man roster to 37 players.
Evans, 29, made the Opening Day roster each of the past two seasons, playing everywhere from first base and third base to the corner outfield spots. Evans got off to a hot start with the Pirates before breaking his jaw in a collision with right fielder Gregory Polanco in foul territory in August 2020. Evans batted .206 with five home runs and 16 RBIs in 76 games with the Pirates this past season before being demoted to Triple-A Indianapolis, where he finished the season.
Anderson, 28, was signed to a minor league deal in July after being released by the Oakland A’s. He went 2-4 with a 4.17 ERA in four starts at Indianapolis.
He pitched in one game for the Pirates, giving up two runs on five hits with one strikeout in five innings of relief in a 9-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs that clinched the Pirates’ 100th loss.
Davis, 31, was acquired from the Baltimore Orioles in a trade for outfielder Jose Berroa in mid-June.
Davis spent most of the season at Indianapolis before joining the Pirates in late September when Jacob Stallings was placed on the concussion injured list. Davis was 2 for 5 in two games at Philadelphia.
Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter covering the Pirates. A Baldwin native and Penn State graduate, he joined the Trib in 1999 and has covered high school sports, Pitt football and basketball and was a sports columnist for 10 years. He can be reached at kgorman@triblive.com.
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