The Pittsburgh Pirates made roster moves on Monday, which included a pair of first-round draft picks — one draft pick, one an upset — and acquired two players in key trades.
The Pirates selected to contract right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester, a 2019 first baseman, and called up catcher Endy Rodriguez and shortstop Liover Peguero from Triple-A Indianapolis. All three are considered top 10 prospects in the Pirates system, and Rodriguez is ranked as a top 100 prospect by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline.
Rodriguez, 23, was acquired by the New York Mets in a three-team deal that sent pitcher Joe Musgrove to the San Diego Padres in January 2021. Pejero, 22, was acquired by the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for an All-Star player Starling Mart in January 2020.
To make room on Brister’s 40-man roster, the Pirates designated outfielder Travis Swagerty for the assignment. Swaggerty, 25, was considered a future quarterback when he was selected No. 10 overall by South Alabama in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft but has been sidelined by injuries and illness throughout his career.
250/.341/.388 in 314 games over five seasons in the minor leagues. He spent the 2020 pandemic season at the alternate training site at Altoona, then missed most of the next season after undergoing shoulder surgery. He played five games with the Pirates last season, going 1-for-9 with four strikeouts. 200 with four doubles, two triples and five RBIs in 17 Indy games this season while missing significant time this season with illness and his wife battling cancer.
The Pirates also selected right reliever Cody Bolton, catcher Jason DeLay and outfielder Josh Palacios to Indianapolis.
Kevin Gorman is a writer for the Tribune-Review. You can contact Kevin via email at [email protected] or via Twitter .
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