Pirates Designate Struggling Veteran For Assignment

The Pittsburgh Pirates made several roster moves on Tuesday. Among them was designating left-handed pitcher Andrew Heaney for assignment.

Heaney signed a one-year, $5.25 million contract this offseason. He started the season well, registering a 3.33 ERA over 78 1/3 innings in his first 14 outings. Things took a turn after that, though. Over his next ten starts, he allowed 37 earned runs for an 8.17 ERA.

On August 16, Heaney was demoted to the bullpen. He took the demotion in stride, vowing to help the team however he could. He’s made two appearances out of the bullpen, but hasn’t found success there either. Most recently, he allowed five earned runs against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night in a 7-6 loss. The lefty earned a $50,000 incentive by completing two-thirds of an inning.

Braxton Ashcraft took Heaney’s place in the rotation and has excelled in the role. He’s made three starts in August and posted a 1.35 ERA. His most recent outing was five shutout innings against the Colorado Rockies. Ashcraft has been very efficient, as well. He’s topped out at five innings, doing so in two of his three starts. He’s needed fewer than 70 pitches to do so, though, and should be able to work deeper into games when he’s stretched out further.

The Pirates recalled Dauri Moreta from Triple-A Indianapolis to replace Heaney. Moreta has a 3.86 ERA over 4 1/3 innings this season.

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