One day after he gave up seven runs in the 10th inning against the Minnesota Twins, the Pittsburgh Pirates designated right-handed reliever Ben Heller for assignment.
The 32-year-old allowed 11 earned runs in two appearances for the Pirates, giving up nine hits, one walk and four hit batters to post a 49.50 ERA and 5.00 WHIP.
By cutting ties with Heller, the Pirates opened a 40-man roster spot for veteran infielder/outfielder Niko Goodrum, who was claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels and optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Goodrum, 32, has a .224/.297/.383 slash line with 76 doubles, 11 triples, 42 home runs and 152 RBIs in seven major-league seasons. He has played for the Minnesota Twins (2017), Detroit Tigers (2018-21) and Houston Astros (2022). He has split this season between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Angels, batting .103 (3 for 29) in 13 games.
Goodrum made four appearances in left field, three each at first and third base and one each at second base and shortstop this season.
He hit a combined .270 (17-for-63) with two doubles, three home runs and 16 RBIs in 17 games this season between Triple-A Durham and Triple-A Salt Lake.
The Pirates will make a corresponding move on the 26-man roster prior to Tuesday’s game at St. Louis.
Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter covering the Pirates. A Baldwin native and Penn State graduate, he joined the Trib in 1999 and has covered high school sports, Pitt football and basketball and was a sports columnist for 10 years. He can be reached at kgorman@triblive.com.