Pirates reassign eight players

The Pirates have announced that they've reassigned eight players to minor league camp.  The eight are:

Tyler Glasnow, RHP
Jameson Taillon, RHP
Harold Ramirez, OF
Trevor Williams, RHP
Chad Kuhl, RHP
Steven Brault, LHP
Reese McGuire, C
Kelvin Marte, LHP

Glasnow, Taillon and Ramirez are all on the 40-man roster, so they were assigned to Indianapolis and, in Ramirez' case, Altoona.  The others were non-roster invitees whose assignments didn't have to be specified.

None of these moves is a surprise.  The first seven are all among the team's better prospects and will get more playing time in minor league camp, especially with minor league exhibitions starting shortly.  The pitchers need the innings, as they all figure to be starters in the upper minors and could be options for the Pirates later in the season.  Ramirez and McGuire have yet to play above class A, so they obviously weren't candidates to make the team even if injuries occurred.

The one non-prospect is Marte.  He probably never had a real shot at winning a bullpen spot.  In fact, it was a little puzzling that he got an NRI.  His career seems to have stalled in AA and he's likely to end up at Altoona, given all the options for the AAA staff.