The Pittsburgh Pirates added a needed left-handed arm out of the bullpen with Ryan Borucki on the 15-day IL, and General Manager Ben Cherington was able to grab a free agent with experience and upside. Genesis Cabrera, a familiar foe in the NL Central who had success in parts of five seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals (2019-2023), signed with Pittsburgh on Thursday, his third team in 2025. Cabrera elected free agency after being designated for assignment by the Chicago Cubs last Saturday.
In corresponding moves to make immediate room on the 26-man roster, the Pirates sent down recently acquired Michael Darrell-Hicks to Triple-A Indianapolis, and Hunter Stratton, who showed promise last season and worked tremendously hard to come back from a gruesome leg injury, was designated for assignment after struggling with the Indianapolis Indians and the Pirates thus far in 2025.