Pirates select Cam Vieaux from Triple-A Indianapolis; place Canaan Smith-Njigba on 60-day injured list

The Pittsburgh Pirates today selected left-handed pitcher Cam Vieaux (pronounced: VIEW) from Triple-A Indianapolis. To make room for Vieaux on both the 26-man and 40-man roster, outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba was placed on the 60-day injured list, retroactive to June 15, with a nondisplaced fracture of the schaphoid bone in his right wrist.

Vieaux, 28, will be making his Major League debut and will wear uniform No. 68. The six-footthree, 200-pounder has gone 3-0 with a 2.28 ERA (7 ER in 27.2 IP), 23 strikeouts, .147 opponents average and a 0.90 WHIP in 18 appearances (one start) for Indianapolis this season, including holding left-handed hitters to a .128 mark in what has been his first full professional season pitching in relief. Vieaux has pitched to a 1.64 ERA (4 ER in 22.0 IP) over his last 15 appearances since April 26, holding the opposition to a .123 batting average in that time.

Vieaux was a sixth-round selection by the Pirates in the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of Michigan State (he was signed by Pirates scout Adam Bourassa). He has combined to go 38-27 with a 3.76 ERA (248 ER in 593.1 IP), 472 strikeouts, 1.26 WHIP and .247 opponents average in 132 appearances (103 starts) over parts of six professional seasons in the Pirates organization. Vieaux was named a South Atlantic League All-Star in 2017 as a member of Single-A West Virginia and was named Double-A Altoona’s Pitcher of the Year in 2018 after he ranked among all Pirates farmhands in wins (T-1st, 13) strikeouts (3rd, 124), innings pitched (5th, 144.1) and ERA (8th, 3.68).

The 23-year-old Smith-Njigba made his Major League debut on Tuesday in St. Louis, doubling in his first at-bat to become the first Pirates player to record an extra-base hit in his first Major League plate appearance since Tony Sanchez doubled in his debut on June 23, 2013. He suffered the injury during Wednesday night’s contest against the Cardinals.