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Minor Moves: Waldron Promoted to Altoona, Singer Added to Bradenton

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The Pittsburgh Pirates made a bunch of minor league moves today and at least one more should be announced soon due to roster space. The biggest name moved today was Tyler Waldron, who was injured earlier in the season and has been pitching for Bradenton since he returned three weeks ago. Also moving to Altoona from Indianapolis was catcher Ali Solis, who was demoted to make room for newly-signed catcher Kelly Shoppach. With those two additions and only one other corresponding move, the Altoona Curve roster is one over the maximum.

Waldron has been hit hard recently while with Bradenton
Waldron has been hit hard recently while with Bradenton

Waldron made three starts at the beginning of the season before going down with a right arm injury. He returned as a relief pitcher with Bradenton on July 26th and has thrown eight innings over five appearances, allowing multiple runs in each of his last four games. To make room for Waldron, utility fielder Kelson Brown was placed on the disabled list.

Ali Solis has bounced around between Altoona and Indianapolis since returning from an early season back injury. It has been a lost season for him, as he has played just 20 games and is hitting .145 in 55 AB’s. It is likely that a move to make room for Solis won’t be announced until he actually reports to the team.

Also on the move today are Jimmy Rider and John Kuchno, though the latter is likely just a paper move.  Rider has been added to the West Virginia roster, while Kuchno was assigned to Jamestown. The Power are going with a six man rotation and both Kuchno and Tyler Glasnow are being limited in their innings now. Rider started the season in Jamestown, then was briefly promoted to West Virginia before being returned. In three games, he went 0-for-10 at the plate. Kuchno pitched six innings last night, so he wouldn’t be available for at least five more days anyway.

Kirk Singer, the infielder-turned-pitcher, was promoted from the GCL to the Bradenton Marauders. He just recently began pitching, going 0-1, 5.68 in 6.1 innings over six appearances. It isn’t know yet if it is a permanent move, or just Singer being sent to help out a short bullpen. The Pirates have sent numerous pitchers from the GCL or Extended Spring Training over to Bradenton just to help out a short-handed bullpen, before an actual replacement arrived from either West Virginia or Altoona.

The GCL Pirates got pitcher Oderman Rocha from Jamestown today, though it isn’t know if this is just a paper move as well. Rocha has pitched well recently, so he may just be gone until Kuchno is moved back to West Virginia.

Finally, pitcher Jeff Gibbs was released. He was originally drafted by the Diamondbacks last year in the 9th round, getting released in Spring Training and then he signed with the Pirates. In ten appearances, he somehow went 2-0 with a 14.46 ERA and 17 walks in 9.1 innings. He issued at least one walk in all ten games. Gibbs gave up 35 walks in 21.1 innings last year.

John Dreker
John Dreker
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball. When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.

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