Pirates release RHP John Holdzkom

According to Pirates Prospects, the Pittsburgh Pirates have released John Holdzkom.

In some minor news tonight, the Pirates have released right-handed relief pitcher John Holdzkom, according to a tweet from Pirates Prospects:

Pirates Release John Holdzkom – https://t.co/peIzzo9bfu #Pirates pic.twitter.com/Q0XEfkGXqj

— Pirates Prospects (@pirateprospects) April 11, 2016

Holdzkom was designated for assignment last week after he didn’t make the Opening Day roster, a move that was expected considering the depth of the Pirates’ major league bullpen.

Holdzkom has had a rough past year after being a feel good story for the Pirates in late 2014, when he sported an ERA of 2.00 and struck out 14 batters in just nine innings of major league work. He failed to make the Opening Day roster last season out of spring training, and was optioned down to Triple-A. He battled injuries but still managed to pitch to a 2.96 ERA, but only in 24.1 innings, 22 of which were at Triple-A. This season, Holdzkom was a long shot to make the major league roster, and might have been dealing with some velocity issues during spring training.

This might not mean the end of Holdzkom in Pittsburgh. In the off-season, the Pirates released Casey Sadler and then resigned him, a move the team could also do with Holdzkom. The potential is there, he just needs to stay healthy and limit his walks.

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