Pirates Outright Relief Pitcher to Triple-A
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates will retain a relief pitcher that they designated for assignment earlier this week after he was not claimed off waivers.
Right-hander Ryder Ryan was out-righted to Triple-A Indianapolis by the Pirates on Thursday after losing his spot on the 40-man roster on Monday amidst a myriad of other moves.
Ryan still has an option year remaining, but Pittsburgh was required to DFA him in order to keep him in the organization after exhausting all of his remaining options for 2024. Because he also has yet to accrue five years of major league service time, he could not refuse his demotion after clearing waivers.
The Cleveland Guardians selected Ryan in the 40th round out of high school in the 2014 MLB Draft, though he instead opted to attend the University of North Carolina, where he played for two seasons. Cleveland later doubled back and signed him after picking him in the 30th round of the 2016 draft.
Ryan pitched for parts of two seasons in the Guardians'x system and reached Single-A before a trade sent him to the New York Mets in exchange for outfielder Jay Bruce in August of 2017.
He recorded a 2.08 ERA in eight appearances with Single-A Columbia that season before posting a 3.23 ERA and 3.05 ERA during the 2018 and 2019 campaigns, respectively.
Ryan was then sent to the Texas Rangers in December of 2020 as a player to be named later in a deal for third baseman Todd Frazier. He pitched in a combined 85 games during 2021 and 2022 for the team's Triple-A affiliate in Round Rock before electing free agency.
The Seattle Mariners swooped in and signed Ryan to a minor league contract in December of 2022. He performed to the tune of a 3.76 ERA over 48 games with Triple-A Tacoma last year and made his MLB debut against the Baltimore Orioles on August 11, striking out two hitters in a scoreless outing. Ryan was optioned to the minors shortly after and was a free agent once again upon the conclusion of the season.
Pittsburgh inked him to a minor league deal in December and selected his contract after placing him on the Opening Day roster this season. Ryan has made 15 appearances totalling 20 2/3 innings to a 5.66 ERA for the Pirates while owning a 4.45 ERA in Triple-A across 23 games.
JACK MARKOWSKI