The Pittsburgh Pirates have selected the contract of veteran right-handed pitcher Jake Woodford. He’s penciled in to start Wednesday’s game against the Cardinals in St. Louis. To make room for Woodford on the active roster, Kyle Nicolas was placed on the 15-day injured list. With the 40-man roster full, a spot had to be cleared there as well. That was settled when pitcher Ben Heller was transferred from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL. Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was first with this news.
In other news, here are the roster moves for today:
➡️ Jake Woodford’s contract has been selected from Triple-A Indy.
➡️ Kyle Nicolas is on the 15-day injured list.
➡️ Ben Heller has been moved to the 60-day injured list, making room for Woodford on the 40-man.
— Noah Hiles (@_NoahHiles) September 18, 2024
Pirates Select Contract of Veteran Pitcher Woodford, Place Nicolas on IL
To say the least, Pirates fans will be less than excited over Woodford’s opportunity for an encore performance with Pittsburgh. The Pirates signed Woodford to a minor league deal in June. In six games for Pittsburgh, the 27-year-old was 0-4 with a 6.95 ERA and 1.318 WHIP. His 4.49 FIP is around the major league average and indicates he may have been victimized by poor support or bad luck. Even so, his last two starts were horrendous, as he gave up 12 earned runs in 7 1/3 innings. Woodford was designated for assignment in August and accepted a return trip to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Woodford pitched better in Indy, with a 2-2 record, 2.44 ERA, and 1.150 WHIP. That’s unlikely to appease Pirates fans, who would have preferred to see one of Pittsburgh’s prospects take the hill.
Nicolas to the Injured List
The 25-year-old Nicolas left Monday night’s game in St. Louis with left-side discomfort after pitching to one batter. Manager Derek Shelton described the injury as a “hot spot,” a medical term which means . . . well, your guess is as good as mine. Regardless, it’s clear the Pirates aren’t taking any chances with the young fire-baller, who’s pitched well at times in 2024. One would guess this essentially ends Nicolas’s season. If so, he finishes with a 2-2 mark, 3.95 ERA, and 1.500 WHIP in 50 games, all in relief. His 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings are encouraging. Not so much his 5.1 bases on balls per nine.
Heller, 33, another right-hander, was 0-1 in eight games for Pittsburgh, with an 11.25 ERA and 2.083 WHIP. Like Woodford, he was better in the minor leagues, pitching to a 3.16 ERA and 0.946 WHIP across two levels.
The Last Word
The Pirates selecting the contract of Woodford gives him one last chance to show his stuff at the major league level in 2024. As a practical matter, however, with the Pirates now mathematically eliminated from a postseason berth, these moves amount to little more than arranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Woodford and Heller are likely to be cut loose in the offseason, perhaps early on. Nicolas remains part of the Pirates’ future.
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