The Pittsburgh Pirates have made a corresponding move, recalling right-hander Ryder Ryan and designating left-hander Josh Fleming for assignment. The decision was reported by Robert Murray of FanSided before the official announcement.
This move comes as an unfortunate development for Fleming, especially as he approaches his 28th birthday on Saturday. Since signing a split deal with the Pirates in February, Fleming has primarily been utilized out of the bullpen. While he technically made one start, pitching 2 1/3 innings as part of a bullpen game on April 24, his overall performance has been inconsistent.
Fleming has struggled this season, posting a 5.68 earned run average over 19 innings across 17 appearances. Although his strikeout rate is below par at 15.1%, it aligns with his career average of 14.9%. However, he continues to induce ground balls at a solid rate, with a 57.1% ground ball rate this year, only slightly below his career mark of 58.9%.
The baseball gods may have had a hand in Fleming’s performance this year, as he has experienced some bad luck with a .344 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) and a 56.3% strand rate. These figures suggest that he has been unlucky, as they are both higher than league average. However, Fleming’s struggles with issuing free passes have also contributed to his challenges. His walk rate of 10.5% is above the league average and higher than his career rate of 7.1%.
Given that Fleming is out of options, the Pirates had limited choices regarding his roster status. Removing him from the 40-man roster was likely the only option if they deemed him no longer suitable for the active roster. The team now has a week to either trade him or place him on waivers. Fleming’s contract pays him $850K in the majors and $240K in the minors, according to the Associated Press.
With over three years of service time, Josh Fleming would have the right to reject an outright assignment if he were to clear waivers. However, exercising that right would require him to forfeit the remaining money on his contract. Under the recent collective bargaining agreement for minor league players signed last year, the minimum salary for a Triple-A player is just $35.8K, significantly lower than his major league salary.
However, this point becomes irrelevant if another club expresses interest in acquiring Fleming. His career statistics are not significantly different from his performance this year, as he posted a 4.88 ERA with the Tampa Bay Rays from 2020 to 2023 before being non-tendered and subsequently signing with the Pirates.