The Pirates have announced that they have selected the right-handed contract Beau Sulser. To make room for Sulser in the 40-man squad, outfield Anthony Alford was designated for assignment. (Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had news of Sulser’s promotion before the official announcement.)
Sulser, the younger brother of Marlin’s slingshot Kohl Sulser, was a 10th-round selection by the Pirates in 2017. He’s never gotten much attention from potential reviewers but has performed well so far this young season. He got his first taste of Triple-A in 2019, making 24 starts and two relief appearances and putting on a 5.65 ERA in 122 2/3 innings. However, this year he has made three starts and logged 12 2/3 innings with a 2.13 ERA. His young-season strikeout rate of 26.9% has improved significantly from the 18.1% rate at Triple-A in 2019. He also lowered his walk rate from 9.4% to 3.8%. Based on those improved results, the Bucs want to see how he fares against the big league hitters. Sulser will be 28 next month.
Alford, on the other hand, is a former top contender and was ranked #25 on Baseball America’s Top 100 list in 2016. Unfortunately, injuries over the years have largely prevented him from getting into a good rhythm. He has appeared in every MLB season from 2017 through 2022, but his career high for single-season games is 49, which he set last year. He was assigned in April last year to clarify waivers and be assigned directly to the minors. He showed enough promise to earn his roster back and finished well. However, another injury, a right wrist sprain, put him back on the injury list to start this season. He was activated and played in two games before being sent to DFA Limbo a second time.
Players previously designated as outrights in their career have the option to decline an outright contract and declare a free hand. If Alford were to clarify the waivers again, he might choose to see if other options are available to him. Still only 27 years old, he has that promising pedigree to his name that could potentially generate some interest despite the lengthy injury history.