The Pittsburgh Pirates announced that they have claimed right-handed pitcher Eli Villalobos from the Miami Marlins. To make room on the 40-man roster, shortstop Oneil Cruz has been transferred to the 60-day injured list. Cruz had surgery yesterday on his fractured left ankle. Villalobos has been optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis.
The 25-year-old Villalobos was a 14th round draft pick of the Marlins in 2018 out of California State University. He has been a reliever for a large majority of his minor league career, except for a short time during the 2019 season when he made a handful of starts.