The Pittsburgh Pirates pulled the trigger Thursday, as right-handed pitcher Domingo German was designated for assignment following a short-lived tenure with the club.
German’s addition was unpopular among many, as his off-the-field history is perhaps more notable than what he’s done on the field — which includes pitching the most recent perfect game in major league history last season. Pittsburgh course-corrected after less than a full season, however, cutting him loose and bringing in an intriguing left-handed pitcher.
Pittsburgh claimed Joey Wentz off waivers from the Detroit Tigers in a corresponding move, who admitted to being eager to join his new team just days after being DFAd himself.
“Obviously, really excited to be here,” Wentz said Thursday, per TribLive. “The last couple days were kind of just wait and see what was going to happen. When I got the call that the Pirates claimed me, just super excited. I’ve played against them three or four times. Just really excited to be a part of the group now.”
Wentz was originally a first-round pick by the Atlanta Braves in 2016 but was dealt to the Tigers at the trade deadline in 2019, despite being ranked as the No. 45 prospect in baseball by Baseball Prospectus at the time. The Pirates started him out in the bullpen, where he had a rough start in Thursday’s win over the Washington Nationals — walking two, giving up one hit and hitting a batter to force in a run. He was pulled after recording just one out.
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Pittsburgh hopes that is just a rough start to what ultimately will become a successful tenure, with the 26-year-old likely to get the reps he needs to continue working on developing his cutter.
“A lot of it’s just about location,” Wentz said. “I think it’s been pretty good to lefties for a swing-and-miss pitch when I need it and when I can place it to righties, it’s good, as well. Overall, just tried to expand my game a little bit. I’ve had some really good moments, I’ve had a couple lopsided innings, so try to keep those hopefully in my rearview. Just work on my pitches and try to get better.”
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