The Pirates had the day off yesterday but there was news off the field as the team signed veteran pitcher Eric Lauer to a minor league deal, pending a physical.
The 28-year-old lefthander has pitched the last four seasons for Milwaukee, making 60 starts in 67 appearances. He is 36-37 with a 4.30 ERA in 120 games with the Padres and Brewers. Last season his fastball velocity fell from 93.4 miles per hour to 90.9, and Lauer was 4-6 with a 6.56 ERA in 10 games before being sent to the minors in June.
The Pirates also announced their roster for the Spring Breakout game next Thursday, featuring top prospects for the Bucs against the top prospects of the Orioles. Three MLB Top 100 Pirates pitching prospects will be on the roster, along with another Top 100 choice, second baseman Termarr Johnson.
Righthanders Paul Skenes and Bubba Chandler and lefthander Anthony Solometo will be there. In fact, the only Top 10 Pirates prospect not on the roster for next week’s game in Bradenton is the third-ranked player, pitcher Jared Jones, who’s had such a good spring the Pirates are holding him out of the game.
In Pirates injury news, David Bednar is scheduled to start throwing again very soon after sitting out a week with tightness in his right lat muscle. Reliever Dauri Moreta has a ligament injury that will keep him out an “extended period of time”, according to director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk.
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