The Pirates announced they’ve selected reliever Austin Brice onto the MLB roster. Righty Jerad Eickhoff has been designated for assignment to open active and 40-man roster space.
Eickhoff, 31, appeared in just one game for the Pirates and was torched for 10 runs in 4 1/3 innings against the Cubs this week. Remarkably, that’s the second consecutive big league appearance in which Eickhoff has been tagged for 10 earned runs; he also yielded 10 runs (in 3 1/3 frames) to the Braves in his final outing of the year with the Mets last season.
Those two outings have combined to help balloon Eickhoff’s career ERA to 4.50 and mark the continuation of a recent decline in Eickhoff’s overall performance. While he was a solid rotation option with the Phillies from 2015-17, pitching to a 3.87 ERA over 376 1/3 innings during that time, Eickhoff has totaled just 87 2/3 Major League innings from 2018-22 and pitched to a collective 7.19 ERA along the way. The Pirates will have a week to trade Eickhoff, release him or attempt to pass him through outright waivers. He has enough service time to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency if he chooses.
Brice, meanwhile, will join the big league bullpen on the heels of a sharp 3.04 ERA through 26 2/3 innings in Triple-A Indianapolis. He’s posted strong strikeout and ground-ball rates in Indy (27.2% and 50.7%, respectively), but has also issued a walk to 11 of the 114 batters he’s faced (9.6%) and plunked another three. Brice is a veteran of parts of six Major League seasons — the best of which came with the 2019 Marlins (44 2/3 innings, 3.43 ERA). Overall, he carries a lifetime 5.17 ERA in 162 big league innings.
It’s impressive to accrue -0.4 bWAR in just 4.1 innings
I don’t understand why we don’t just bring up Cody Bolton.
He walked 5 guys and gave up 2 hits in 2 innings last night.
Whoa! That’s not good no matter what league. Wonder how he likes Korean food?
The Eickhoff DFA constitutes as no news.
But no news is good news.
…with Gary Gnu.
They told him to take a Eick.
When will they learn that signing Eickhoff is like signing your death warrant
GIGO.
Eickoff pal you suck
Jerad has had a tough run over the past 4-5 appearances in the minors. I was surprised they called him up.
I’m just relieved they’re not calling up Bryse Wilson despite his strong AAA numbers. Talk about a player that was horribly rushed. Despite appearances over 4 seasons, the guy is still just 24 years old. He needs to spend most of the year down there trying to pitch consistently well. Then maybe he can get a shot in ST next year if he’s shown he still has the stuff.
I wouldn’t be shocked if he’s back up when Quintana is inevitably traded. That should give him another month at AAA–probably 5 or so more starts there. On the other hand, it was encouraging to see him not walk anyone in his last outing at AAA.
Bolton has been very solid at Triple-A this year. They just moved Mike Burrows to Triple-A as well. If Wilson gets another shot before either of them, then there were a handful of injuries.
Maybe time to look at your career alternatives.
It can’t hurt to give him a shot, he’s definitely going to be better than Hembree was. You definitely need a guy with a little experience in the bullpen as you ease a guy like De Los Santos into higher leverage situations (yesterday’s game was proof that he needs to be brought on a little more gradually, though I do think he’s going to be a great arm for the Bucs).
As a second team I do like the Pirates. I think maybe DFA Hembree might be a wake-up call for. I still think he can be useful for the Pirates.
Who’s your 2 favorite nfl teams Jets Browns? Nba Magic Knicks?
After that showing i don’t think the Pirates will play the release/re-sign game with Eickhoff that the Mets did last season
Saw him at the airport early this morning.
Thats good. At least he got a job quick and at the airport no less
I’m not giving up on Eickhoff. I think he has what it takes. Pirates should have taken him out earlier and then put him in another game a few days later. He would have come through.