Pittsburgh Pirates: Players Most Likely to Come Off the 40-Man Roster Before Opening Day

Colorado Rockies v Washington Nationals
Colorado Rockies v Washington Nationals / Mitchell Layton/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next

Relief pitcher Chase De Jong

Having Chase De Jong on this list may seem like an odd addition. After all, he is coming off the best season of his career in 2022. That said, there are reasons to believe his performance is not sustainable which could leave him without a roster spot.

De Jong posted a 2.64 ERA in 71.2 innings in 42 relief appearances. However, he walked 10.2% of batters faced and allowed home runs a 1.26 HR/9 rate. De Jong also benefitted greatly from a .222 batting average on balls in play, which is an unsustainably low level.

Part of the reason that De Jong is on this list is due to him being out of minor league options. This means that De Jong can not start the season in the minor leagues without first being designated for assignment and clearing waivers. This could also contribute to him being a candidate to be taken off the 40-man roster.