Author: mattbandi

The Pirates have suspended Altoona closer Diego Moreno for "unprofessional conduct." No other details are known.

Triple-A pitchers Hayden Penn and Vinnie Chulk are close to signing deals with separate Japanese teams.

Andrew McCutchen left Sunday's game with a shoulder injury that he sustained while making a diving catch. He was officially diagnosed with a mildly sprained AC joint, which will likely keep him out of action for a few days. McCutchen will be reevaluated today, and the Pirates have not yet ruled him out for tonight's game.

Dejan reported this eveningthat pitching prospect and 2009 draftee Jeffrey Inman "has been slowed by elbow discomfort." I don't think that his mysterious absence from game action had been previously explained.

As expected, the Pirates will promote Triple-A catcher Erik Kratz in time for Friday's game against the Astros. Chris Jakubauskas will likely be moved to the 60-day disabled list to make room for Kratz on the 40-man roster.

Chuck Finder reports that the Pirates have signed their third round draft pick, outfielder Mel Rojas Jr. He is expected to join the Bucs short-season affiliate in State College.

The Pirates have promoted pitching prospect Nathan Baker to High-A Bradenton.

Charlie Morton was a polarizing figure among Pirates fans and Pittsburgh media members during the first month of the season. His ERA was in double-digits, but his peripheral stats indicated that he was among the unluckiest pitchers in baseball. Since then, he has simply been mediocre. Right now, he is struggling just to stand out against Triple-A competition.

The Pirates have signed 16-year-old Belarusian pitcher Aleksey Lukashevich. Lukashevich is the first player from Belarus to join a major league organization.

Rob Biertempfel tweeted moments ago that Pirates' catching prospect Tony Sanchez will miss the remainder of the 2010 season. Sanchez, out with a broken jaw, previously hoped to return later in the year.

The Pirates reacquired minor league shortstop Brian Bixler today for a player to be named later.

According to Cory Giger of the Altoona Mirror, the Pirates demoted Tim Alderson to High-A Bradenton after his start this afternoon. The move frees up a spot in the Altoona rotation for recently promoted pitcher Jeff Locke.