The Pirates are designating right-hander Brent Honeywell for task, experiences Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Publish-Gazette. The crew has not but formally introduced the transfer.
Honeywell, 29, was solely chosen to the 40-man roster this previous Sunday. He’s since tossed 3 1/3 innings, permitting a run on three hits and two walks with one strikeout. The previous No. 72 general draft decide (Rays, 2014) and longtime high prospect signed a minor league take care of the Bucs within the offseason and has spent the majority of the yr in Triple-A Indianapolis, the place he’s pitched 39 innings with a 4.85 ERA, 19.6% strikeout charge and 10.1% stroll charge over the lifetime of 31 reduction appearances.
It’s the third season with some massive league work for Honeywell, who as soon as ranked as excessive as No. 14 on Baseball America’s top-100 prospect listing however has been beset by a devastating slate of accidents. The best-hander has undergone an unimaginable 4 elbow surgical procedures since 2017. He’s undergone Tommy John surgical procedure, an ulnar nerve decompression, a process to restore/stabilize a fracture in his elbow, and an arthroscopic process that the Rays mentioned on the time was carried out “to alleviate delicate discomfort.”
All 4 of these operations got here earlier than Honeywell even made his massive league debut with Tampa Bay, which lastly occurred in 2021 — seven years after he was drafted. That Honeywell even continued his profession to succeed in the majors is exceptional in and of itself — a testomony to his grit and perseverance. He’s since tossed 60 innings on the massive league degree and recorded a 4.95 ERA, 18.5% strikeout charge and 10.4% stroll charge. He’s additionally pitched in elements of 5 Triple-A campaigns, totaling 277 innings with a 4.35 earned run common, 24% strikeout charge and seven.9% stroll charge.
The Pirates may have per week to commerce Honeywell, launch him or try to move him by means of outright waivers. He’s out of minor league choices — unsurprisingly so, given his profession arc — so any crew that trades or Honeywell or claims him must plug him straight onto the large league roster.