The Pirates made a series of roster moves right before Sunday’s game against the Detroit Tigers, claiming infielder Drew Sutton off waivers, demoting infielder Jordy Mercer, recalling reliever Bryan Morris, and placing Charlie Morton on the 60-day DL.
You may recall that the Pirates acquired Sutton a month ago, then almost immediately traded him to the Tampa Bay Rays, who had a spot open for him in the big leagues. That created a minor brouhaha in the Pittsburgh media, given the fact that the Pirates’ offense at the time was ferociously awful. But Sutton is just a journeyman and wasn’t worth the freakout, and now the Pirates have him back anyway. Don’t expect him to play that much. He replaced Mercer, who almost never saw the light of day.
Morris pitched well in Indianapolis and deserves a shot, but he might not get much of one — with Jeff Karstens scheduled to return soon from the disabled list, Morris’ stay in the big leagues might be short. He’s available Sunday against the Tigers; Sutton is not.