Pirates claim former 2013 Draft pick Carle
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates on Thursday claimed Shane Carle off waivers from the Rockies, reuniting with the right-hander a little more than three years after dealing him to Colorado.
The Bucs selected Carle in the 10th round of the 2013 Draft and traded him to the Rockies on Nov. 11, 2014, in exchange for reliever Rob Scahill. Colorado designated Carle for assignment last week after the signing of closer Wade Davis.
To make room for Carle on the 40-man roster, the Pirates designated right-hander Johnny Barbato for assignment.
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Carle began his career in Pittsburgh's Minor League system, reaching Class A Advanced Bradenton in 2014, and spent most of the last two years with Triple-A Albuquerque. Overall, Carle owns a 27-29 record with two saves, a 4.10 ERA and 367 strikeouts over 131 appearances (76 starts) in the Minors.
The 26-year-old righty made his Major League debut last season, posting a 6.75 ERA in four innings over three relief appearances for the Rockies. He was used mostly as a reliever in Triple-A, with 33 of his 36 outings coming out of the bullpen as he compiled a 5.37 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP over 62 innings in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
Carle has Minor League options remaining, so if he remains on Pittsburgh's 40-man roster, he can be used as relief depth between the Majors and Triple-A Indianapolis. The Pirates already have a handful of right-handed relief options more likely to make their Opening Day roster: George Kontos, Daniel Hudson, Dovydas Neverauskas, Edgar Santana, A.J. Schugel and Rule 5 Draft pick Jordan Milbrath. General manager Neal Huntington has discussed the possibility of putting righty Tyler Glasnow in the Opening Day bullpen if he doesn't crack the Pirates' rotation.
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The Pirates still might want another left-hander in the bullpen, as closer Felipe Vázquez is their only experienced southpaw reliever, or they could decide to use Jack Leathersich, Nik Turley or starter Steven Brault in that role.
The Pirates acquired Barbato from the Yankees in April for Minor League pitcher Matt Frawley. The 25-year-old recorded a 4.08 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP in 28 2/3 innings over 24 appearances in the Majors. He worked mostly in mop-up duty, pitching when the Pirates had a big lead or trailed. The Bucs went 5-19 in the 24 games he pitched.