Pirates make moves to shuffle pitching staff, acquiring LHP Manny Banuelos from Yankees

The Pittsburgh Pirates continue to reshape their pitching staff, as general manager Ben Cherington announced several roster moves Sunday on his weekly radio show on 93.7 The Fan.

The Pirates optioned right-hander Bryse Wilson, who made a quality start in Saturday’s 7-4 win, to Triple-A Indianapolis. They activated righty Zach Thompson from the 15-day injured list to start Sunday’s series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers. In a swap of righty relievers, Duane Underwood Jr. has been activated from the covid-19 injured list after completing a rehabilitation assignment with Double-A Altoona, but rookie Yerry De Los Santos was placed on the covid-IL.

The Pirates also made a trade, acquiring left-hander Manny Banuelos from the New York Yankees for cash considerations. It was their second deal involving a lefty reliever in as many days, after they traded Anthony Banda to the Toronto Blue Jays for cash.

Banuelos, 31, was signed by the Yankees as an international free agent in 2008 and was ranked their top prospect in 2012 before undergoing Tommy John surgery. He has pitched in three seasons in the majors for the Atlanta Braves (2015) and Chicago White Sox (2019) before returning to the Yankees this season, and also has pitched in China and Mexico.

Banuelos had a 2.35 ERA in 20 innings at Triple-A Wilkes-Barre/Scranton before recording a 2.16 ERA in 8 1/3 innings over four appearances for the Yankees this season. Cherington said he expects Banuelos to be used as a multi-inning reliever.

“He was a big prospect when he was young,” Cherington said of Banuelso. “He’s been all over the world the last few years.”