After being called earlier in the week, the Pittsburgh Pirates have designated Brent Honeywell Jr. for assignment Friday, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. The Pirates elected the 29-year-old’s contract last weekend after he allowed one earned run with a 1:2 K:BB over 3 1/2 innings in two appearances. Honeywell could return to Triple-A Indianapolis, where he posted a .485 ERA in 31 innings. The former Tampa Bay Rays drafted Honeywell in 2014 and signed a minor league deal with the Pirates in the offseason.
Pirates to Designate Brent Honeywell Jr. for Assignment
The Pirates selected the contract of Honeywell from Triple-A Indianapolis to fill Bailey Falter‘s spot on the roster.
“I want to win,” Honeywell told reports Sunday morning. “I think we all want to win. That’s the biggest thing to me. It’s a good club, man. I think the main thing is kind of keep them going where they’re at right now. Just kind of move right into being a cog in the machine and help them win.”
Honeywell is in his third season in the big leagues but has gone through multiple injuries. He underwent for elbow surgeries since 2017, undergoing Tommy John surgery, an ulnar nerve decompression, a procedure to repair a fracture in his elbow, and an arthroscopic procedure that the Rays said was performed to “relieve mild discomfort.” All four of those operations for Honeywell came before his major league debut with Tampa Bay, which happened in 2021. Since his debut, Honeywell has thrown 60 innings with a 4.95 ERA, 18.5 percent strikeout rate and a 10.4 percent walk rate.
It will be up to the Pirates if they with what they want to do with Honeywell. They could release him or attempt to pass him through outright waivers. However, Honeywell appears to be out of minor league options, meaning that any team that trades for the right-hander or claims him will have to put him on their 40-man roster.
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