The Pittsburgh Pirates have decided to keep right-handed reliever Ryder Ryan within their organization by outrighting him to Triple-A Indianapolis. This move comes after Ryan was designated for assignment earlier in the week to make room on the 40-man roster amidst a series of roster adjustments. While Ryan still has an option year remaining, the Pirates needed to designate him for assignment because he had exhausted all of his minor league options for the 2024 season. Since he has not yet accumulated five years of major league service time, Ryan was unable to refuse the assignment after clearing waivers.
Ryan, who was initially drafted by the Cleveland Guardians in the 40th round of the 2014 MLB Draft, chose to attend the University of North Carolina instead of signing. Cleveland later drafted him again in the 30th round in 2016. Ryan spent parts of two seasons with the Guardians’ organization, reaching Single-A, before being traded to the New York Mets in exchange for outfielder Jay Bruce in August 2017.
During his time with the Mets’ minor league system, Ryan posted a 2.08 ERA in eight appearances with Single-A Columbia in 2017, followed by ERAs of 3.23 in 2018 and 3.05 in 2019. He was later traded to the Texas Rangers in December 2020 as part of a deal for third baseman Todd Frazier. Ryan then appeared in 85 games for the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate in Round Rock over the 2021 and 2022 seasons before opting for free agency.
Ryan signed a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners in December 2022, where he posted a 3.76 ERA over 48 games for Triple-A Tacoma. He made his MLB debut against the Baltimore Orioles on August 11, 2023, striking out two batters in a scoreless inning. Shortly after, he was optioned back to the minors and became a free agent at the end of the season.
The Pirates signed Ryan to a minor league contract in December 2023 and added him to their Opening Day roster. Throughout the 2024 season, Ryan has made 15 appearances for the Pirates, recording a 5.66 ERA over 20 2/3 innings, and has a 4.45 ERA in 23 games at Triple-A.
Leave a Reply