The Pittsburgh Pirates announced that they claimed right-handed pitcher Jesus Liranzo off of waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers and have optioned him to Double-A Altoona.
Liranzo’s time in the Dodgers organization did not last long, as he was acquired last week from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for prospect Luis Ysla.
The Dodgers had to make a roster move just a day later though, calling up reliever Zach Neal from Triple-A Oklahoma City after taxing their bullpen in a 15-inning marathon with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Neal took Josh Fields’ spot on the 25-man roster, as Fields was away from the team on the paternity list for the birth of his child.
As a corresponding move to put Neal on the 40-man roster, the club was forced to designate Liranzo for assignment, and the Pirates claiming him ensures that he will not remain in the Dodgers organization.
In 91 career Minor League games, Liranzo holds a record of 7-8 with a 3.71 ERA, while striking out 202 in 170 innings pitched while holding opponents to a .194 batting average. He spent all of last season with Double-A Bowie of the Orioles organization, going 3-4 with two saves and a 4.85 ERA.
Opponents hit .224 and the right-hander had 75 strikeouts compared to 43 walks in 65 innings across 31 games (12 starts) during that time.
Liranzo was originally signed by the Atlanta Braves out of the Dominican Republic spent just over a year with them before joining the Orioles organization in 2013.
