Pittsburgh Pirates make several roster moves

The Pittsburgh Pirates will open up their 2014 campaign against the Chicago Cubs on Monday, March 31st. As a Cubs fan myself, I’m very excited to watch these two National League Central Division rivals go at it to kick off the year.

Now before the Pirates prepare themselves for their first home series of the year, they have announced several roster moves. The first move made was the designation of right handed pitcher Vin Mazzaro.

Mazzaro posted an ERA of 2.81 with a K/BB ration of 46/21 through 73 and two-third innings in 2013. Pittsburgh appears to be loaded when it comes to the bullpen, so there wasn’t really any room for the right-hander.

Second move was placing catcher Chris Stewart on the 15-day disabled list with what they are calling a right knee injury. Stewart had surgery to repair his right meniscus a week or so ago and is expected to miss the first month of the year. His return could depend on how well his rehab goes, but don’t be surprised if he misses an additional month or so.

Right handed pitcher Jeff Locke was placed on the 15-day disabled list with an oblique injury. Locke only worked through two innings this Spring in Grapefruit League action, only because he was feeling a little bit of discomfort.

The Pirates have purchased the contract of first baseman Travis Ishikawa from Triple-A Indianapolis. Ishikawa will provide the team with depth at first base while Gaby Sanchez holds down the position.