Pirates promote Jose Contreras, option Jared Hughes

The Pirates have added Jose Contreras to their active roster and have optioned Jared Hughes to Triple-A. Contreras had been working his way through the minors while recovering from an elbow injury, and his return seemed imminent. Hughes had not pitched well at all this year, issuing way too many walks as hitters perhaps began to notice that his sinkers don't actually wind up in the strike zone all that much. He'll almost certainly be back at some point, but it's hard to argue with him being sent down. This moves mean that Bryan Morris -- who was also eligible to be optioned -- is sticking with the team, and again, I can't argue with that.

It's hard to know what to expect from Contreras given his age and injury history, but if he can stay healthy, there's certainly a chance he could be an effective arm out of the bullpen, if only for a month or two.