The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed free agent outfielder Jarrod Dyson to a one-year $2 million contract. He is expected to take centerfield for the team, after they traded Starling Marte to Arizona. Dyson is a career .247 hitter who averages 25 steals per season. Last season with the Diamondbacks, he batted .230 with seven home runs and stole 30 bases.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton has named right-handed reliever Keone Kela the team’s closing pitcher to start the season.
Major League Baseball has officially moved forward with a three-batter minimum pitching rule which went into effect with the start of spring training. A pitcher must face at least three batters in an appearance, or end the half-inning, unless an injury occurs.