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Pirates finalize 30-man roster for Opening Day by adding infielder, 2 pitchers

Kevin Gorman
| Thursday, July 23, 2020 12:40 p.m.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington watches a workout on Wednesday, July 8, 2020, at PNC Park.

Now that the Pittsburgh Pirates have finalized their 30-man roster, Derek Shelton is ready to fill out his Opening Day lineup for the first time as a major-league manager Friday at the St. Louis Cardinals.

It won’t be the memento Shelton waited two decades for, starting in the minor leagues and working his way to managing the Pirates, because baseball in the coronavirus pandemic requires everything to be automated. Instead, the traditional exchange of the lineup card will be replaced by a digital version with names selected from a dropbox.

“So there’s really no cool writing like it used to be with the calligraphy and everything,” Shelton said, “but to the main point of that … to write your first lineup for a major league game, I mean, I’m glad it happened before my 50th birthday.”

Led by a new manager and new general manager in Ben Cherington, these Pirates will reflect a mixture of old and new. They return All-Star first baseman Josh Bell, rookie sensations Kevin Newman and Bryan Reynolds and a patchwork pitching staff led by the Opening Day starter, right-hander Joe Musgrove.

Their expanded roster mixes newcomers like 35-year-old center fielder Jarrod Dyson and 33-year-old left-handed pitcher Derek Holland with top prospects like shortstop Cole Tucker and righty Mitch Keller.

“The important thing is we got to this day — the day that the season is going to start — which is very cool, very important,” Shelton said. “Everybody’s excited. Smiles on your face. I like that. And we’re doing this healthy.”

Well, relatively healthy. The Pirates lost ace Jameson Taillon to season-ending Tommy John surgery last August and Chris Archer to neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome surgery this spring. And backup catcher Luke Maile, signed as a free agent, was lost to a fractured right index finger.

Closer Keone Kela and right fielder Gregory Polanco will begin the season on the injured list after both tested positive for covid-19, and infielder JT Riddle (right abdomen strain) is on the 10-day IL.

“We have some guys that are dinged up,” Shelton said, “but nothing major that is going to prevent us, with the exception of Maile, from starting the season.”

Holland is one of three non-roster invitees to make the team, along with lefty reliever Nik Turley and infielder Phillip Evans. Tucker is one of three players optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis in spring training to earn a spot, along with right-hander JT Brubaker and outfielder Jason Martin.

Shelton elected to keep 16 pitchers and 14 position players for the first two weeks of the season, before rosters are reduced to 28. That was by design, to strengthen a bullpen missing its closer and to give the Pirates a longer look at evaluating their pitching staff.

“We want to give ourselves a chance to learn as much as we can about as many pitchers as possible,” Cherington said.

Catcher Andrew Susac was added to the taxi squad for the opening weekend. The Pirates can carry as many as three players on the taxi squad but elected not to do so because of expanded rosters.

The main surprise among the cuts was Martin making the team over veteran Socrates Brito, considering Martin wasn’t invited to training camp at PNC Park before being called up for Wednesday’s exhibition game against the Cleveland Indians. Cherington said the Pirates like Martin’s defense and speed off the bench.

“I think Shelty felt like right now that Jason’s skill set was a little better fit on the team in terms of how he envisions using guys and opportunities to get speed into the game later,” Cherington said. “It kind of came to that. I’m glad Socrates is with us. He’ll get a chance to continue to stay sharp in Altoona. Certainly confident that he can come up and help us at some point if there’s an opportunity.”

Cherington said two players who missed all of camp after testing positive for covid-19 — reliever Blake Cederlind and third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes — have been cleared and were sent to the satellite camp in Altoona.

“We’re going to continue to focus on trying to put the best team we can out there while giving players a chance to be in the best position to perform but also get the experience they need to improve,” Cherington said. “That will always be a balance, but we have no fears certainly of calling up a young player and relying on him.”

The Pirates’ 30-man roster, by position:

Pitchers: Steven Brault, JT Brubaker, Nick Burdi, Kyle Crick, Robbie Erlin, Michael Feliz, Derek Holland, Clay Holmes, Mitch Keller, Chad Kuhl, Joe Musgrove, Dovydas Neverauskas, Richard Rodriguez, Chris Stratton, Nik Turley, Trevor Williams.

Catchers: John Ryan Murphy, Jacob Stallings.

Infielders: Josh Bell, Phillip Evans, Adam Frazier, Erik Gonzalez, Colin Moran, Kevin Newman, Jose Osuna, Cole Tucker.

Outfielders: Jarrod Dyson, Guillermo Heredia, Jason Martin, Bryan Reynolds.

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