The Pirates cleared two roster spots Wednesday by designating right-hander Cam Sanders for assignment and transferring shortstop Konnor Griffin from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL. Those moves opened the door for Jacob Gonzalez and Brandon Eisert, both of whom arrived from the White Sox yesterday.
Sanders is out of runway after another rough stretch in the majors. He debuted in 2025 and put up an 8.10 ERA across 6 2/3 innings, and his second season hasn’t gone any better. Through nine appearances and 9 1/3 innings in 2026, he’s sitting on an 8.68 ERA, and his walk rate has actually climbed to 20.8% after sitting at 14.7% last year.
There is at least one bright spot in the profile: Sanders’ strikeout rate jumped from 11.8% in his first big league season to 27.1% this year. That kind of miss rate lines up more closely with what he’s done in the minors, but the control issues have followed him there, too. Over eight seasons in the Cubs’ and Pirates’ farm systems, the 29-year-old has logged 223 career Triple-A innings with a 5.04 ERA, a 29.35K%, and an 18.18BB%.
The timing of the move tells the story. Sanders was optioned to Triple-A for the maximum fifth time this season just one day earlier, making him the odd man out in Pittsburgh’s eyes.
Because this is his first DFA and he has never been outrighted before, he would have to accept a Triple-A assignment if he clears waivers. Another club could still take a shot on the strikeouts, but the more likely outcome is that Sanders stays in the Pirates’ organization.
Griffin’s transfer was expected. The shortstop is projected to miss 8-10 weeks with a torn finger tendon, and the 60-day IL move rules him out until the first week of September at the earliest.
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