Bucs option Roansy to FCL Pirates

A week after the Pirates optioned right-hander Roansy Contreras to Triple-A Indianapolis, the club went a step further on Thursday evening and optioned him from Indianapolis to the Rookie-level Florida Complex League Pirates.

"We thought Florida, because of our resources and because it's a non-competitive environment right now, was going to be the best situation for him," said manager Derek Shelton on Friday. "Then as we transition, he'll transition back to going to Indy. But right now, in terms of getting him back to being the most consistent, we thought because of what we have in Florida, that's the best place for him to be."

The move was expected, per a source, as it will allow the 23-year-old to work in a controlled environment with the team’s player development, strength and delivery resources before returning to competition, whether that be in the Majors or at a higher-level Minors affiliate.

"Ro is a competitor, obviously, and he took it very well when we explained the plan to him," Shelton said. "It's not one of those things where he was overjoyed of what it was, but he understands and asked questions and we ]told him what the expectation was. ... At the end of it, I think he was ultimately excited about 'OK, this is the plan, and this is how we're gonna go about it.'"

This move is, in essence, a reset -- one that Contreras needs given how the past couple months unfolded.

Contreras, who had a 3.79 ERA in 95 innings as a rookie in 2022, pitched well enough to begin his sophomore season, with a 3.58 ERA and 2.96 FIP across 27 2/3 innings in his first five starts. Since then, though, he recorded an 8.63 ERA and 6.75 FIP across 40 2/3 innings, and was moved from the rotation to the bullpen on two occasions. The Pirates optioned him to Indianapolis on July 6 after he allowed four earned runs on two home runs the day prior.

“We've seen glimpses of him being a really good Major League starter and feel he can be a really good Major League starter," Shelton said on July 7, "but I think the other thing we have to remember is he's 23. This is the first time he's really had any adversity, so we have to make sure that we put him in the best situation to make sure that he continues to get better."

In addition, Contreras’ fastball velocity has dropped considerably this season, particularly in recent weeks.

Last season, Contreras had an average fastball velocity of 94.5 mph, a velocity that began to dip as the season went along. This season, he has an average fastball velocity of 93.8 mph.

That number ticked up to 95.1 mph in June, a spike that coincided with his move to the bullpen. In two appearances in July, Contreras saw his fastball drop to 93.8 mph.

The right-hander doesn’t generate much movement with his four-seam fastball to begin with -- his four-seamer generates two inches less movement than similarly thrown fastballs -- but he was able to compensate last season due to the pitch hitting the mid- to upper 90s. This season, opponents have hammered Contreras’ slower four-seamer. Across 121 plate appearances this season, opponents have a .381 batting average and .598 slugging percentage against the four-seam fastball, making it one of the least effective pitches in the entire league.

The Blue Jays recently employed a similar approach with right-hander Alek Manoah, optioning the former All-Star to the Florida Complex League after he struggled to begin the season. Contreras' and Manoah’s situations are not directly comparable, but as with Manoah, Contreras’ optioning to Rookie ball will provide him an opportunity to work in a controlled environment.