The Pirates have sent right-hander Michael Darrell-Hicks outright to Triple-A Indianapolis, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week. The Pirates will get to keep him as non-roster depth.
Darrell-Hicks, 28 on Thursday, was acquired from the Angels via the waiver wire in June. Between the Bucs and the Halos, he has 9 2/3 innings pitched in the big leagues. In that time, he has allowed eight earned runs via ten hits, four walks, one hit batter and two wild pitches, while striking out eight opponents.
His minor league track record is more interesting. From 2022 to 2024, he tossed 180 2/3 innings on the farm with a 3.79 earned run average. He struck out 26.3% of batters faced and only gave out walks at a 7.2% clip.
2025 saw him post a nightmarish 8.45 ERA in 38 1/3 Triple-A innings, though it’s possible that he was extremely unfortunate. His 22.1% strikeout rate and 9.5% walk rate were close to average but his .415 batting average on balls in play and 61.9% strand rate were both far to the unlucky side. His 21.1% home run to fly ball ratio was also far higher than his previous work.
The Pirates liked him enough to grab him this summer, though he got squeezed off the roster this week. They are probably glad to keep him around in a non-roster capacity. He doesn’t have the right to elect free agency since he doesn’t have three years of service or a previous career outright. He will look to earn his way back onto the roster next year.
Photo courtesy of Raymond Carlin III, Imagn Images
