Pirates in Attendance to See Cuban Right-Hander Yariel Rodriguez

The Pittsburgh Pirates were in attendance to scout Cuban right-handed pitcher Yariel Rodriguez, who had a workout on Tuesday in the Dominican Republic. Francys Romero of BeisbolFR reported that the Pirates were one of 15 teams on-hand to see him.

Rodriguez, 26, pitched for Team Cuba in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, where he allowed a pair of runs and struck out 10 batters in 7.1 innings pitched.

Though he has experience as a starter, the right-hander has spent the last few seasons pitching out of the bullpen in the NPB in Japan as a long reliever and in a traditional relief role. In 79 appearances in total, Rodriguez went 10-10 with a 3.03 ERA with 188 strikeouts in 175.1 innings pitched.

His best season came in 2022 with the Chunichi Dragons, where he posted a stellar 1.15 ERA to go along with a 6-2 record, 60 strikeouts, 18 walks and 32 hits allowed in 54.2 innings pitched.

Rodriguez did not play for the Dragons in 2023 as he was seeking a release to pursue a big league opportunity. He was finally granted his release from Chunichi earlier this month, according to Romero, and is now seeking a major league deal.

In addition to the Pirates, here were the other 14 teams in attendance to see Rodriguez.

Cuban ace RHP Yariel Rodriguez (26) will have his first tryout in a few minutes in the Dominican Republic.

More than 15 teams are present right now to see Cuba's first pitcher in the V World Baseball Classic.

Pirates
Mets
Giants
Reds
Rays
Athletics
Angels
Dodgers
Blue Jays… pic.twitter.com/Z1H6q4abMp

— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) October 10, 2023