Pirates designate RHP Roansy Contreras, place 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes on IL, recall Alika Williams

The promotion of Paul Skenes to the Pittsburgh Pirates caused a chain reaction that turned one of Ben Cherington’s biggest trades into a bust as right-hander Roansy Contreras was designated for assignment.

Contreras was the centerpiece of the four-player return in the trade that sent pitcher Jameson Taillon, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2010 MLB Draft, to the New York Yankees in January 2021.

The Pirates general manager also said Gold Glove third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes will be placed on the 10-day injured list with back inflammation, and utility infielder Alika Williams will be recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis.

Hayes was batting .240/.322/.318 with seven doubles, one home run and 11 RBIs in 34 games this season but missed Friday’s 7-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs when his recurring back issue flared up Thursday.

Williams hit .239 (11 for 51) with one double, two triples and two RBIs in 15 games before being optioned Friday when second baseman Nick Gonzales was recalled from Indianapolis.

It was a tough ending for Contreras, who made a promising debut for the Pirates on Sept. 29, 2021, when he recorded four strikeouts while allowing three hits and a walk in three innings of a 3-2 loss to the Cubs.

The 24-year-old Dominican was 9-12 with a 4.83 ERA and 1.65 WHIP in 53 appearances for the Pirates, including 30 starts, and averaged 7.9 strikeouts and 4.4 walks per nine innings.

“It was a tough call because we like Ro, and he’s a really good pro,” Cherington said. “He’s a talented kid that we believe will go on and pitch and be a good big leaguer. He’s out of options. We wanted to give it all the time we could with Ro. Obviously, he’s been a guy that we believed in and were hopeful for. We just felt like right now, the alternative moves we could have made to open up that spot were not going to be best for the team, so that was the decision we made.”

Contreras went 5-5 with a 3.79 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 95 innings over 21 appearances (18 starts) in his first full season in 2022 but was bumped to the bullpen last season before being demoted to the minors to work on his mechanics. He finished 3-7 with a 6.59 ERA in 19 games (11 starts). Contreras was 1-0 with a 4.41 ERA and 1.65 WHIP in 16¹⁄₃ innings this season, with 16 strikeouts and eight walks.

Contreras was out of minor-league options and became the third player from the Taillon trade to be designated for assignment. The Pirates previously cut ties with right-hander Miguel Yajure and outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba, who later was claimed off waivers but designated again before being outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis. The other player acquired, 21-year-old shortstop Maikol Escotto, is slashing .345/.412/.552 in 11 games in his second season at High-A Greensboro.

“We look back on all those decisions, and we look at them both in an individual context like that,” Cherington said. “We made that decision, what’s happened, what can we learn from that, how can we get better from it, and then, of course, we also look at the entire portfolio. We know every team is going to have a portfolio, and inside that portfolio are some things that don’t work out the way you want to. So you have to look at both. You have to look at the individual decisions and what we learn from that and also the whole portfolio over time. Keep looking at both, keep getting better and ultimately we’re accountable for doing that.”