After an abysmal outing on Sunday in which Tanner Rainey was charged with all four runs scored by the San Diego Padres in their seventh-inning comeback that cost the Pittsburgh Pirates the game and the series, he was designated for assignment. In a corresponding move, the Pirates picked up INF/OF Ronny Simon off waivers from the Miami Marlins, added him to the 40-man roster, and sent him to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Simon, standing at 5’8” and 150 pounds, was signed by the Marlins this winter to a Minor League contract after a solid campaign in AAA Durham with the Tampa Bay Rays organization. In 130 games last season, the 25-year-old middle infielder and corner outfielder slashed .283/.356/.429 and had a .785 OPS with 10 homers and 56 RBI.
After a blazing hot start to the season in AAA Jacksonville, where he hit .356 in 15 games, Simon got his first call-up to the show. In 19 games with the Marlins, he struck out seven times, walked seven times, and was 11-for-47 with a .277 slugging percentage. Before being designated for assignment a few days ago by Miami, Simon was emotional on the field in a game against the San Diego Padres on May 27 after making four errors playing second base in the first four innings of the game.
Rainey, who signed a Minor League deal with Pittsburgh in the winter after several years with the Nationals organization, was brought up from Triple-A Indianapolis at the beginning of May after RHP Justin Lawrence was moved from the 15-Day IL to the 60-Day IL. Rainey has simply been bad, as his ERA ballooned from 6.14 to 10.57 after yesterday in just 11 appearances for the Pirates. Don Kelly’s bullpen management in his tenure thus far has been questionable, although he doesn’t have a lot to work with. Lawrence, along with LHP Tim Mayza, were key acquisitions to boost the Pirates’ bullpen depth, and their returns are unknown and unlikely for this year.
That lack of depth, along with Colin Holderman (also on the IL) and David Bednar (despite him being better lately) not nearly as reliable as they once were, has caused this bullpen to be below average at best this year and has cost the Pirates a bunch of games. Other than Dennis Santana, the Pirates have no one in their bullpen who has been automatic. Lefties Caleb Ferguson and Ryan Borucki, along with RHP Chase Shugart, have been ok and deserving of roster spots right now, but don’t inspire a ton of confidence. Borucki has not looked the same over the last few weeks and has not been used in higher-leverage situations like he was in April.
RHP Kyle Nicolas has struggled this year in Triple-A and a couple of appearances in the big leagues after looking like a potential future closer in the second half of last season. And the Pirates will not let go of the idea of Carmen Mlodzinski becoming a starter, despite proving to be an excellent reliever and them needing him in that role much more. He continues to work as a starter after recently being demoted to Indianapolis.
Hunter Stratton may get another opportunity, as he was solid last year in 36 games with the Pirates and has faced a lot of setbacks due to injuries. Stratton did appear in two games for the Pirates this year against the Cubs, and that didn’t go well at all. Ideally, Dauri Moreta will be ready to make his return to the big leagues since undergoing Tommy John surgery last year after ten rehab appearances with the Indians, but who knows what the Pirates’ timetable is for him. He could automatically be a high-leverage reliever for this team if he pitches the way he did in 2023.