The Pittsburgh Pirates have recalled right-handed pitcher Blake Cederlind from their Alternate Training Site in Altoona. To make room on the active roster, outfielder Jason Martin has been optioned to Altoona.
Cederlind topped out at Triple-A last season in a breakout year that saw him post a 2.28 ERA over three levels, with 55 strikeouts and a 1.18 WHIP in 59.1 innings. He missed the start of this season due to a positive COVID-19 test, and has been in Altoona since rejoining the team. The 24-year-old Cederlind was a fifth round pick in 2016. He can hit triple digits with his fastball, but he needed to work on his secondary pitches and command before he was ready for the majors. Prior to last year, he was strictly a fastball pitcher, with mediocre control, though he did hit 100 MPH for the first time in 2018, after previously topping out at 97 MPH.
Martin has been with the Pirates three times this year, all brief stints, amounting in a total of five games and nine plate appearances. He’s 0-for-7 with two walks and two runs scored.
