The Pirates announce that they have designated reliever Wirfin Obispo for assignment. The move clears roster space for Ramon Cabrera, who the Pirates claimed from the Tigers earlier today. Cabrera will head to Altoona.
The Pirates claimed Obispo from the Braves in June. I saw him pitch for Indianapolis a couple weeks ago (for only an inning, so it's not like I've seen him a ton) and wasn't overly impressed. He throws hard, but with a lot of effort and not much idea where the ball is going. The Pirates probably liked that he was a hard thrower who wasn't afraid to pitch inside. Obispo profiles well for a Triple-A reliever, but probably not as a big-leaguer. In 25.2 innings with Indianapolis, Obispo struck out 24 batters and walked 13. He's 29 and has never pitched in the majors, so he seems like a good candidate to clear waivers and end up back in the organization.