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Pirates Place Adam Frazier on Disabled List; Recall Dovydas Neverauskas

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The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Monday evening that INF/OF Adam Frazier has been placed on the 10-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain and right-handed relief pitcher Dovydas Neverauskas has been recalled from Indianapolis. Once he makes his debut, Neverauskas will be the first player from Lithuania to make the majors.

The 24-year-old Neverauskas was added to the 40-man roster over the off-season, avoiding minor league free agency in the process. He was signed as a 16-year-old by the Pirates in 2009 and made a strong impression at the lower levels by hitting 95 MPH as a starting pitcher. Neverauskas wasn’t able to progress past Low-A ball as a starting pitcher and he moved to relief late in 2005, finishing the season in Bradenton.

Last spring, Neverauskas got some attention here by sitting 95-96 in relief outings during minor league Spring Training games. He went to Altoona, where the velocity increased a bit, hitting 97 MPH more consistently, touching 99 MPH at one point. He also had two versions of a slider that were effective pitches, one that was harder and broke in towards right-handed hitters, and another that was a little slower and broke down and away from right-handed hitters.

This season, Neverauskas has thrown 8.1 innings without an earned run, holding batters to a .138 average. He has the upside of a late inning reliever, but he could probably use a little more time before he is ready for that role. Neverauskas was rated 21st among prospects in our 2017 Prospect Guide.

Adam Frazier was hitting .306/.370/.449 in 15 games prior to the injury.

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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