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Pittsburgh Pirates: Locks to be Removed From the 40-Man Roster

By Marty Leap |
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 9: Jared Oliva #14 of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the dugout before taking on the New York Mets at Citi Field on July 9, 2021 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 9: Jared Oliva #14 of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the dugout before taking on the New York Mets at Citi Field on July 9, 2021 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 04: Manager Derek Shelton #17 of the Pittsburgh Pirates walks back to the dugout after executing a pitching change against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on September 04, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 04: Manager Derek Shelton #17 of the Pittsburgh Pirates walks back to the dugout after executing a pitching change against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on September 04, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images) /

With the 40-man roster full for the Pittsburgh Pirates, there are roster moves coming that will see players removed from the roster

Roster moves are coming from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Their 40-man roster is currently full, but they still have 10+ prospects who will need to be added to the 40-man roster to prevent them from being exposed in the Rule 5 Draft.

Additionally, the team will need to clear 40-man roster spots for players they add this offseason. While they likely will not be super active with player acquisition this offseason, the Pittsburgh Pirates will still look to add to their starting rotation, bullpen and potentially the infield before Opening Day.

With the Pirates needing to clear 40-man roster spots there are players who will be on the chopping block in the near future. With that said, let’s take a look at players the Pittsburgh Pirates currently have on their 40-man roster who are locks to be taken off of the 40-man roster.

PITTSBURGH, PA – JULY 05: Jared Oliva #14 of the Pittsburgh Pirates in action during the game against the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park on July 5, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – JULY 05: Jared Oliva #14 of the Pittsburgh Pirates in action during the game against the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park on July 5, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

Outfielder Jared Oliva

There was a time when Jared Oliva looked like he may be a key member of the Pirate outfield moving forward. His star has faded, however, the past two seasons, and now it has become clear that the Pittsburgh Pirates do not have any long-term plans for him.

Despite the Pirates being in need of outfield help for much of the season, Oliva spent most of the 2021 campaign with Triple-A Indianapolis. Wit the Indians Oliva hit for just a .249/.321/.364 slash line to go with an 86 wRC+.

In 43 MLB plate appearances Oliva hit for a .175/.233/.225 slash line to go with a wRC+ of 20. Oliva has 59 MLB PAs, and he has hit for a .179/.220/.214 slash line to go with a wRC+ of 14 and a 27.1% strikeout rate in these 59 PAs.

At this point it’s obvious the Pirates do not have long-term plans for Oliva. Combine this with his struggles both in the minors and against MLB pitching in 2021, and it is clear that he is set to be removed from the 40-man roster.

Sep 25, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Taylor Davis (2) hits a single to center field during the ninth inning of the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies won 3-0. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 25, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Taylor Davis (2) hits a single to center field during the ninth inning of the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies won 3-0. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports /

Pitcher Tanner Anderson and catcher Taylor Davis

Both Tanner Anderson and Taylor Davis saw MLB time with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the month of September. This was due to injuries, as well as the Pirates looking to watch the work load of some of their young pitchers.

The right-handed Anderson made his MLB debut with the Pirates in 2018 and pitched for the Oakland A’s in 2019. He had not appeared in a MLB game since then and rejoined the Pirate organization as a minor league free agent over the summer.

Anderson made a single relief appearance for the Pittsburgh Pirates this past season, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and a strikeout in his 5 innings of work. Being a career journeyman who was there to provide organizational depth and fill some innings, his days on the Pirates 40-man roster are numbered.

Davis had not played in the Major Leagues since 2019 when he was with he Chicago Cubs. The veteran backstop had 6 plate appearances in 2 games played with the Pirates in 2021. Davis was 2-for-5 with a walk in his 6 trips to the plate.

With the Pirates needing to make room on the 40-man roster, Davis will undoubtedly be taken off the roster. Hell, Michael Pérez, who was the team’s primary backup in 2021, could also find himself without a 40-man roster spot.

CINCINNATI, OH – AUGUST 06: Phillip Evans #24 of the Pittsburgh Pirates jogs back to the dugout during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on August 6, 2021 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH – AUGUST 06: Phillip Evans #24 of the Pittsburgh Pirates jogs back to the dugout during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on August 6, 2021 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /

Utility man Phillip Evans

Phillip Evans made a strong first impression with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Prior to suffering a season ending broken jaw, he was hitting for a .359/.444/.487 slash line to go with a 158 wRC+ in 45 PAs during the 2020 season.

Evans once again made the Opening Day roster of the Pirates in 2021 and, once again, started the season strong. Through his first 80 PAs of the season Evans was hitting for a .246/.342/.449 slash line with a 116 wRC+ and an 8% extra base hit rate.

At this point it appeared that Evans was emerging as a potential long-term utility man/bench piece for the Pirates. However, in his final 168 PAs of the season Evans hit for a .186/.298/.228 slash line to go with a 52 wRC+.

After showing why he was largely a career minor leaguer with the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs, Evans now appears to be a player on their way out. With younger, higher ceiling utility players such as Diego Castillo, Hoy Park, and Tucupita Marcano all now in the mix, in addition to Ji-Hwan Bae being on the way, it’s hard to envision Evans remaining on the Pirate 40-man roster much longer.

PITTSBURGH, PA – OCTOBER 03: Cody Ponce #44 of the Pittsburgh Pirates steps off the mound as Joey Votto #19 of the Cincinnati Reds rounds the bases after hitting a three run home run in the fifth inning during the game at PNC Park on October 3, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – OCTOBER 03: Cody Ponce #44 of the Pittsburgh Pirates steps off the mound as Joey Votto #19 of the Cincinnati Reds rounds the bases after hitting a three run home run in the fifth inning during the game at PNC Park on October 3, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

Right-handed pitcher Cody Ponce

Cody Ponce came to the Pittsburgh Pirates from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Jordan Lyles at the 2019 trade deadline. Since then Lyles has made 20 MLB appearances with the Pirates, with 5 of them being starts.

In these 20 outings Ponce has pitched 55.1 innings, posting a 5.86 ERA and a FIP of 5.47. Ponce has walked 6.9% of batters faced, struck out 19.6% and has allowed home runs at a woeful 2.11 HR/9 rate.

Ponce has struggled throughout his MLB career. He also does not possess any plus level pitches, or any tools that would appear to set him up for long-term success in the Major Leagues. Due to this, Ponce would appear to be an odd man out with the upcoming 40-man roster purge.

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Ponce will turn 28-years-old in April and is no longer a young prospect. Often times the past two seasons it has appeared that the Pirates were using Ponce to eat innings and lessen the workload of younger pitchers more than anything else. If that is all they view Ponce as, then pitchers like like that can be found easily.

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