Pittsburgh catcher Russell Martin is back off the disabled list after missing the past month with a strained hamstring and to make room for him on the roster the Pirates have designated for assignment left-hander Wandy Rodriguez.
Rodriguez has struggled to pitch through an arthritic elbow all season, posting a 6.75 ERA in six starts, and previously spent time on the disabled list. He actually pitched well in his first start back off the DL last week, but Rodriguez allowed six runs without making it out of the second inning yesterday against the Orioles to apparently convince the Pirates he wasn’t going to contribute positively any longer.
Rodriguez was acquired from the Astros in mid-2012 and pitched well for the Pirates down the stretch that season and last season, but he’s repeatedly been limited by injuries. He’s owed $13 million this year, but Houston is on the hook for the majority of that and at age 35 with free agency around the corner he wasn’t going to be part of Pittsburgh’s plans beyond this season anyway.
