Tigers fill 40-player roster by adding reliever Barbato

The Detroit Tigers claimed righthanded reliever Johnny Barbato off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday.

The 25-year-old Barbato appeared in relief in 24 games for the Pirates in 2017 and posted an 0-1 record with a 4.09 earned run average. He allowed 13 earned runs in 28.2 innings while striking out 23.

The six-foot-one, 230-pound Barbato was originally a sixthround pick by the San Diego Padres in 2010. He was traded to the New York Yankees in 2014 for right-handed pitcher Shawn Kelley.

He appeared in 13 games for the Yankees in 2016 going 1-2 with a 7.62 earned run average before being dealt to the Pirates early last season for a player to be named later, which turned out to be righthanded pitcher Matt Frawley.

Aside from his time with the Pirates last season, Barbato pitched in 27 games for Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2017 and was 0-2 with a 3.20 earned run average and 41 strikeouts in 39.1 innings.

For his career, Barbato has made 237 minor league appearances, which includes 24 starts. He has a 21-19 record with 43 saves and a 3.40 earned run average including 416 strikeouts in 400.2 innings.

With Barbato’s addition, Detroit now has 40 players on its 40-man roster.

The Tigers also avoided arbitration with catcher James McCann after the two sides agreed on a oneyear contract on Thursday.

The 27-year-old McCann batted .253 in 106 games last season with 13 home runs while driving in 49 runs.

McCann threw out 18 runners attempting to steal last season, which was sixth among American League catchers.