BRADENTON, Fla. - When the Pirates signed Justin Masterson, they looked at him as a guy who might be able to help the big league team as either a starter or a reliever. At this point, they seem to be leaning towards the relieving part, even though Masterson has been built up to five innings, after his start in Bradenton today.
A few weeks ago, when Masterson got to the point where he could pitch in games, they asked him for his thoughts on moving to the bullpen. They decided to stretch him out as a starter to give him more innings and more work, with that bullpen possibility still there.