Pirates Add Lefty, Sign Génesis Cabrera to Major League Deal

The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed left-handed relief pitcher Génesis Cabrera to a one-year, Major League contract, the club announced.

To make room for him on the roster, the Pirates optioned right-handed pitcher Michael Darrell-Hicks to Triple-A Indianapolis and designated fellow righty Hunter Stratton for assignment.

Cabrera elected free agency on Tuesday after he was designated for assignment by the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. The 28-year-old made 15 appearances between the Cubs and New York Mets this season and posted a 6.35 ERA across 17 innings.

Cabrera, a native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, has spent parts of seven seasons in the big leagues between four different teams. In his career, the left-hander is 17-14 with a 4.03 ERA and five saves across 287 appearances. In 292.2 innings, Cabrera’s allowed 253 hits, walked 142 and struck out 283 batters.

The Pirates were down to Caleb Ferguson as the lone left-hander in the bullpen after Ryan Borucki was recently placed on the 15-day injured list.

Darrell-Hicks was claimed off waivers by the Pirates on June 13. After a brief stint in Triple-A Indianapolis, he was recalled by Pittsburgh on Tuesday and pitched 2.0-scoreless innings against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Stratton worked his way back to the mound this season after tearing his patellar tendon last August and allowed seven runs on 10 hits in 2.2 innings between two stints with the Pirates. In three big-league seasons in Pittsburgh, the right-hander posted a 4.30 ERA across 47 relief appearances.