Pirates shovel Gerrit Cole, others to minors
by Bill Passonno | CBSSports.com
(3/18/2013) The Pittsburgh Pirates pared down their roster Monday, optioning pitcher Phil Irwin to Triple-A Indianapolis. Irwin was considered a darkhorse candidate to replace Francisco Liriano in the starting rotation in case the ailing left-hander was not ready for opening day.
The Pirates also reassigned pitchers Gerrit Cole, Brooks Brown, Kris Johnson, Kyle Waldrop and catcher Ali Solis to their minor-league camp. Cole, 22, is viewed as the team's top prospect and posted a 3.60 ERA with seven strikeouts in three games (two starts) this spring. The right-hander sped through the minors last season and could make his MLB debut later this year.
|
