1:09pm: The Pirates announced the signing.
1:02pm: The Pirates have reached an agreement to bring right-hander Rookie Davis aboard on a minor league contract, per The Athletic’s Emily Waldon (Twitter link). He’ll be in Major League camp as a non-roster invitee to Spring Training.
Now 25 years old, Davis was one of four players the Yankees sent to the Reds in exchange for Aroldis Chapman in the 2015-16 offseason. (None of the four are still in Cincinnati.) He made his big league debut with the Reds in 2017 but allowed 23 earned runs with a 20-to-14 K/BB ratio in 24 innings of work. Davis had hip surgery following the 2017 campaign and was limited to just 26 1/3 minor league innings with the Reds last year. Davis posted solid numbers in the minors up through Double-A before he began to struggle in Triple-A and, eventually, the Majors. He’s not likely to factor into the Pirates’ pitching plans early in the season, but he’s a relatively youthful depth addition that could emerge later in 2019 if he’s back up to full strength.
Read more: mlbtraderumors.com
