Pittsburgh Pirates: Connor Overton Impresses in Debut

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 17: Connor Overton #44 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches during a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles at Nationals Park on August 17, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 17: Connor Overton #44 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches during a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles at Nationals Park on August 17, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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Making his debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Connor Overton pitched a scoreless inning out of the bullpen on Sunday afternoon

When it comes to both the 40-man and active rosters it has been a bit of a revolving door for the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 2021 season. This is typically the case with a team that is as deep into a rebuild as the Pirates are.

On September 3rd relief pitcher Connor Overton was designated for assignment by the Toronto Blue Jays. Overton was DFA’d despite pitching 6.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen for the Blue Jays this season.

After being DFA’d by the Blue Jays, Overton was claimed by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Overton was initially sent to Triple-A Indianapolis, however, he would not spend much time in Indianapolis after being claimed.

Saturday afternoon the Pirates placed left-handed pitcher Steven Brault on the 10-day injured list in a move that will likely end Brault’s 2021 season. To replace Brault on the active roster the Pirates recalled Overton from Triple-A.

After being recalled on Saturday afternoon, Overton made his debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates in Sunday afternoon’s 6-2 loss against the Washington Nationals. In the loss Overton pitched a scoreless inning of relief, retiring all three batters he faced while recording a strikeout.

Overton was most likely claimed off waivers by the Pirates simply to give them another arm to help cover innings between now and the end of the regular season. However, if pitching scoreless innings can become a regular thing for Overton then he may be able to hang around longer than anticipated with the Pirates.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates are desperate to find any type of relief help. If Overton is able to string together strong outings down the stretch he could position himself to enter the spring with an opportunity to pitch his way into a bullpen spot. If not, Overton could be taken off the 40-man roster this offseason. For now, however, Overton’s stint with the Pirates, even if it is a short one, is off to a strong start.