Pirates Claim Pitcher Adonis Medina off Waivers from Phillies

The Pittsburgh Pirates have claimed right-handed pitcher Adonis Medina off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies, the team announced on Wednesday evening. With the Pirates’ current 40-man roster full, they will have to clear a roster spot to add Medina, which they said they will do “at a later date.”

Medina is from the Dominican Republic. The 6-foot-1, 187-pound pitcher throws a low-90s four-seam fastball and a sinker, as well as a changeup and a slider. He originally signed with the Phillies for $70,000 when he was 17 years old in 2014.

In the minors, Medina pitched 540.2 innings and held a 3.78 ERA, and was mainly used as a starter. He carried a decent strikeout rate at 8.1 per nine inning while carrying a below-average walks per nine innings at 3.0. Wildness seems to be a trait, with him hitting least 12 batters in three consecutive seasons from 2017-19

Medina finally got the call to the majors in 2020, where he appeared and started in one game. Medina pitched four innings in his one start, struck out four, walked three, and gave up two earned runs. In 2021, Medina appeared in four more major league games and started one, pitching 7.2 innings. He struck out six, walked four, and gave up three earned runs. His career MLB ERA is 3.86 over five games.

The Dominican Winter League didn’t give Medina any favors in 2021-22. Medina only pitched in 7.2 innings with an ERA of 5.87.

Medina will be competing for a spot in either the Pirates’ rotation or bullpen. Seeing how the Phillies handled Medina in 2021, the Pirates may follow suit and use the righty as another bullpen piece for the long 162-game season. He is out of minor-league options, so the Pirates would have to again expose him to waivers to place him in the minor leagues this season. Medina will make $570,500 if he remains at the major league level this season.