Chase

Shugart

Shugart fortifies Pittsburgh’s bullpen ahead of Tuesday’s matchup against the Nationals. The 28-year-old rookie has made three scoreless relief appearances this season in his brief time in the majors.

Rodríguez suffered a finger laceration Monday night. The Pirates have been going with an extra position player since Joey Bart hurt his back, so Shugart’s addition will put them back up to 13 pitchers. If Rodríguez hadn’t gotten hurt, Henry Davis probably would have returned to Triple-A within the next couple of days.

Shugart has been shipped back to the minors to make room for catcher Henry Davis ahead of Saturday’s game against the Reds.

Shugart has made six big league appearances, all coming with the Red Sox in 2024. The 28-year-old right-hander is coming up with Colin Holderman going on the injured list with a knee sprain. Shugart figures to work mostly in low leverage situations.

No real surprises here as Pittsburgh begins to pare down its spring training roster. Ashcraft is the most notable inclusion since he figures to be an option for the Pirates at some point later this season. Valdez could be an option at the keystone if injuries strike at the big-league level.

In the deal, Murray reports that the PIrates will send Boston right-handed pitcher Matt McShane. Shugart was designated for assignment after the Red Sox acquired Blake Sabol from the Giants, and he should compete for one of the final spots in the PIttsburgh bullpen.

Shugart is removed from the 40-man roster after the Red Sox traded for Blake Sabol. Shugart picked up a save while making six appearances for Boston in 2024 while forging a 4.15 ERA, and he likely will see interest on the waiver wire or via trade from a team looking for pitching depth.

The Red Sox are figuring out how they are going to close games with Kenley Jansen (shoulder) on the IL. Chris Martin was used in a tie game in the ninth inning and so Zach Penrod started the 10th inning by allowing a double to score the place runner. He then got a fly out but walked the next batter, so Alex Cora called on Shugart, who was just called up from Triple-A on Monday. The 27-year-old got a fly out, then walked two batters to walk in a run before getting a pop-out to end the game. We’d be shocked if he earned another save this season, but he has one MLB save in his career now and that’s pretty cool.

It’s Shugart’s third stint with the Red Sox. He allowed four runs over six innings of relief work in the previous two.

Shugart gave up three runs in 1 1/3 innings last night, turning the game against the White Sox into a tight one. The Red Sox won anyway, but Shugart loses his spot for now.