Roster Moves: Pirates bring back Daniel Nava

He didn’t have to wait as long as Aramis Ramirez, or even Manny Sanguillen or Nate McLouth.

As expected, the Pirates have signed Daniel Nava to a new minor-league contract, The Athletic’s Rob Biertempfel reported.

Nava is set to miss significant time after late-February back surgery. The Pirates cut Nava earlier this week. It is assumed this maneuvering is due to an opt-out clause Nava had. It’s common for minor-league veterans to be able to become free agents if they aren’t added to the Major League 25-man roster by a certain date. Presumably, the new deal allows the Pirates to keep Nava through his rehab.

• Pirates Prospects’ John Dreker reports (sub) minor-league infielder Andrew Walker has been suspended by Minor League Baseball for violating its drug prevention program.

Walker joined the organization in 2016 as a non-drafted free agent. He posted a .240/.331/.256 in 144 plate appearances last year with the short-season A West Virginia Black Bears and low-A West Virginia Power.

Not-even-all-that-fun fact: The Pirates had another minor leaguer named Andrew Walker somewhat recently, a 2007 fifth-round draft pick. A catcher, he played five seasons in the Pirates organization, topping out at high-A Bradenton.