ST. LOUIS — The Pirates filled one of two empty spots on their 40-man roster Monday by acquiring right-hander Johnny Barbato from the New York Yankees for cash or a player to be named. He has been optioned to Class AAA Indianapolis, leaving the 25-man roster unaffected.
Barbato, 24, was drafted in the sixth round by the San Diego Padres in 2010. He made the Yankees’ opening-day roster last year but had a 7.62 in 13 innings for the major league club in 2016. At Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Barbato had a 2.61 ERA in 48u2153 innings.
Barbato has worked mostly as a reliever in recent years.