The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Thursday afternoon that right-handed pitcher Cody Ponce has been optioned to Indianapolis, while outfielder Ka’ai Tom and 1B/OF John Nogowski have both cleared waivers and been sent outright to Indianapolis.
Ponce has struggled in his appearances with the Pirates this year, posting an 8.34 ERA in 22.2 innings over eight appearances. He also had his troubles in Indianapolis this year, putting up a 5.29 ERA in 49.1 innings.
Nogowski started off on fire with the Pirates, then cooled down quickly. He hit .261/.325/.351 in 33 games, which included a .375 OPS in his final 21 games. Combined with his time with the St Louis Cardinals, he has a .611 OPS in 52 games this year.
Tom has been injured recently, but he too was having his issues at the plate earlier in the year. He had a nice walk rate, but it came with a .139 average and .231 slugging percentage between his stops with the Pirates and Oakland A’s this year. In 48 games, he had a .510 OPS.
The Pirates are off today, so no other move needs to be made to fill the open 26-man roster spot.
