Pirates release right-hander Kyle Crick

The Pirates have placed right-hander Kyle Crick on release waivers, according to Alex Stumpf of DK Pittsburgh Sports (via Twitter). Crick was designated for assignment earlier this week and cleared DFA waivers, and the Bucs elected to part ways with Crick rather than outright him to Triple-A.

The move ends Crick’s three-plus seasons in Pittsburgh after 139 1/3 innings and several ups and downs within the righty’s overall solid 3.62 ERA. Crick had a very strong 2018 season but struggled in 2019, missed most of 2020 due to injury, and again couldn’t find any consistency this year. Control has been Crick’s biggest problem, as he has an ungainly 16% walk rate since the start of the 2019 season.

Still only 28 years old, Crick has two seasons of arbitration control remaining. Between these points and the “change of scenery” factor, it seems likely that another team will look to pick him up on a minor-league deal and see if it can solve Crick’s lack of command.