Pirates extend non-roster invitations to 8 players for major league spring training camp

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced Thursday that they have extended non-roster invitations to the following eight players for major league spring training camp:

• Sergio Alcantara: An infielder who made his MLB debut with Detroit in 2020 — homering off Minnesota Twins left-hander Rich Hill in his first at-bat — the 27-year-old Dominican has played shortstop, second base and third base in 192 games over three major league seasons. Alcantara slashed .268/.374/.402 in Triple-A last season, split between Iowa and Reno.

• Gilberto Celestino: The 24-year-old Dominican outfielder spent the past two seasons with the Twins, where he batted .238 with 12 doubles, 24 RBIs and 30 runs scored and ranked third among American League rookies in games played in the outfield (119) in 2022. He missed time last season with a left thumb injury and spent time at Low-A Fort Myers and Triple-A St. Paul.

• Ben Heller: The 32-year-old right-handed sinkerballer spent parts of four seasons with the New York Yankees and last season with the Atlanta Braves, going 2-0 with a 3.06 ERA and 1.38 WHIP, averaging 8.3 strikeouts per nine innings in 50 career relief appearances.

• Jake Lamb: The 33-year-old corner infielder/outfielder was an All-Star for Arizona in 2017, when he hit 30 doubles, 30 home runs and 105 RBIs. He made the Los Angeles Angels’ Opening Day roster last season but batted .216 with two homers and five RBIs in 19 games and was designated for assignment. He signed with the Yankees and batted .269/.396/.427 with nine doubles, six homers and 26 RBIs in 51 games for Scranton-Wilkes Barre.

• Billy McKinney: The 29-year-old journeyman outfielder/first baseman, acquired from the Yankees on Dec. 15 for international signing bonus pool money, has a career .209 average with 36 doubles, 34 homers and 86 RBIs in 311 MLB games with the Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland A’s.

• Michael Plassmeyer: The 27-year-old lefty has pitched 11 innings over three appearances in the majors with the Philadelphia Phillies. He spent most of last season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley but made his first career start against the Mets in the second game of a doubleheader Sept. 30, allowing 10 runs (nine earned) on eight hits with four strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings in an 11-4 loss.

• Ryder Ryan: The 28-year-old right-handed reliever made his MLB debut with the Seattle Mariners on Aug. 11, striking out two of the four batters he faced in a scoreless inning against Baltimore. Went 4-2 with a 3.76 ERA and two saves in 48 appearances for Triple-A Tacoma last year.

• Hunter Stratton: The 27-year-old righty reliever, a 16th-round pick by the Pirates in 2017, spent most of the season at Triple-A Indianapolis, holding hitters to a .075 batting average while striking out 18 and posting 12 1/3 scoreless innings between Aug. 1 and Sept. 2. He made his major league debut by throwing two innings of scoreless relief against Milwaukee on Sept. 5