Pittsburgh Pirates: Three Players Who Can Benefit From Expanded Rosters

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CHICAGO, IL – JUNE 08: Dovydas Neverauskas #66 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on June 8, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. The Cubs defeated the Pirates 3-1. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL – JUNE 08: Dovydas Neverauskas #66 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on June 8, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. The Cubs defeated the Pirates 3-1. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Reliever Dovydas Neverauskas

For the final player we go back to the bullpen. Righty Dovydas Neverauskas has been up and down between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Indianapolis Indians multiple times since 2017. As a result, he is out of minor league options.

Despite poor results at the MLB level, Neverauskas was pitching extremely well in Grapefruit League play. The Lithuanian native had allowed just two runs on five hits, two walks and he had struck out seven. He also had not allowed a home run, which was great to see considering his career HR/9 is an alarming 2.19.

Even though he was out of options, Neverauskas appeared to face long odds to make the Opening Day roster. This is to be expected when you own a 6.71 ERA, 5.99 FIP, 2.19 HR/9, and a 9.0% walk rate in 61.2 career innings at the MLB level.

With rosters expanded, it will likely create multiple extra spots in the Pirate bullpen. If the new Pirate brass, led by general manager Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton, or new pitching coach Oscar Marin, see anything they like in Neverauskas, he could now be in line to land a spot in the Opening Day bullpen.

Next. What to Expect From Jacob Stallings in 2020. dark

There are other players who could have been included in this list as well. One major example is Ke’Bryan Hayes. However, since we went into detail on the site on Friday about why he should be the Opening Day third baseman and why the delayed start of the season could impact that, there was no need to hash it out again.

What do you say? Which Pittsburgh Pirates players do you believe could benefit from potential expanded rosters in a 2020 season? Let us know in the comments!