Kratz To Finally Make Big Leagues

As expected, catcher Erik Kratz will take Jason Jaramillo’s spot on the roster, the Post-Gazette reports. This is cool – not only does Kratz deserve the promotion, but he’ll be making his big-league debut as a 30-year-old, after spending eight years in the minors. As you might have guessed from that last sentence, he isn’t exactly a prospect, but there’s no reason he can’t make a nifty short-term backing catcher.

Biertempfel: Kratz Likely To Get Call

Rob Biertempfel of the Trib tweets that Erik Kratz will likely be promoted to take Jaramillo’s spot on the roster.

Pirates Option Jason Jaramillo And Justin Thomas To Indianapolis

Dejan Kovacevic tweets that the Pirates have optioned catcher Jason Jaramillo and reliever Justin Thomas to Indianapolis. Zach Duke, who will soon return from a rehab assignment at Altoona, will probably take one of those roster spots.

Jaramillo had 67 at bats for the Pirates. Starting catcher Ryan Doumit's defense has been disastrous, so I would think the Pirates would need to bring up another catcher, and veteran backstop Erik Kratz has hit brilliantly for Indianapolis. Thomas has only appeared in three games for the Bucs.