The Pittsburgh Pirates made a plethora of moves before game two of a four-game set in St. Louis on Tuesday.
Pittsburgh activated center fielder Oneil Cruz from the 7-day concussion injured list. Cruz hasn’t played since being removed from the game on August 12 in Milwaukee.
The Pirates also recalled right-handed reliever Dauri Moreta from Triple-A Indianapolis. Moreta owns a 3.86 ERA in five outings this season, allowing two earned runs in 4.2 frames.
He worked his way back from Tommy John surgery this year and has pitched a large chunk at Triple-A, posting a 2.43 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 37 innings during two separate stints.
To make room on the active roster, the Pirates demoted outfielder Ronny Simon and designated left-hander Andrew Heaney for assignment.
In seven games with the Pirates, all batting leadoff, Simon recorded seven hits in 30 at-bats, plus two RBIs and eight strikeouts. He hit .234 for Miami in 19 games before the Pirates claimed him off waivers in June.
Following a great April in a Bucco uniform, recording a 2.61 ERA in five starts, Heaney has been on a downslide and significantly struggled in August.
Heaney owns a 5-10 record, 5.39 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and .267 opponent average in 26 games (23 starts).
The Pirates moved him to the bullpen earlier this month and allowed five runs in two-thirds of an inning Monday, blowing a 4-1 lead.
Heaney owns a 7.39 ERA over his last 15 outings. His past seven appearances have been poor, posting an 8.87 ERA and 1.84 WHIP with 22 earned runs in 22.1 innings.
Ben Cherington opted to keep Heaney, Tommy Pham, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa on expiring contracts, rather than trade them at the deadline. That’s also contingent on acquiring something back for them. Heaney struck out 84 hitters in 120.1 innings and was one of the Pirates’ worst pitchers since the All-Star break.
The Pirates play the Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Tuesday at 7:45 p.m.