Pittsburgh, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – Veteran first baseman Ike Davis was
designated for assignment as the Pittsburgh Pirates reshuffled their 40-man
roster on Thursday.
Davis finished fifth in the National League with 32 home runs while with the
New York Mets in 2012 and spent the majority of last season as Pittsburgh’s
regular first baseman. The 27-year-old hit just .233 with 11 homers and 51 RBI
in 143 games between the Pirates and Mets in 2014, however.
Pittsburgh acquired Davis in a trade with the Mets on April 18.
The move was made to clear space for five minor league players whom the
Pirates added to the 40-man roster. Among them was pitcher Jameson Taillon,
the second overall pick of the 2010 MLB Draft who missed all of last season
after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Catcher Elias Diaz, outfielder Willy Garcia and right-hander Nick Kingham also
had their contracts selected.
Earlier in the day, the team claimed infielder Pedro Florimon, who started 127
games at shortstop for the Minnesota Twins in 2013, off waivers from the
Washington Nationals.
The Pirates also designated catcher Ramon Cabrera for assignment and
outrighted infielder Brent Morel to Triple-A Indianapolis.
