The Pirates released a clarification Friday morning stating left-handed reliever Kevin Siegrist has been suspended, not released, after refusing his assignment to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Siegrist, 28, allowed five earned runs in 8 2/3 innings for the Pirates this spring after signing as a minor-league free agent in February, and the Pirates released a statement saying Siegrist has a clause in his contract stipulating he'd agree to a minor-league assignment if no other team offered him a big-league deal. The club chose to keep Josh Smoker as the left-hander on their opening day roster after Siegrist's velocity was down and his command was inconsistent.
Smoker has a 3.00 WHIP in 1 2/3 innings, and the Pirates could use a veteran such as Siegrist, who was one of the top left-handed relievers in the National League for three years before an injury-shortened season in 2017.
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