The Pirates announced that right-hander Noah Murdock‘s contract has been selected to the 40-man roster, and Murdock has now been optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. Infielder Davis Wendzel was designated for assignment to create space for Murdock on the 40-man.
Murdock signed a minor league deal with the Pirates last November that included an upward mobility clause, as per Ethan Hullihen. The Bucs therefore needed to add Murdock to at least the 40-man roster to avoid losing him to another team, so today’s transaction addresses that situation.
Most of Murdock’s pro career was spent in the Royals’ farm system, but he made his big league debut with the A’s in 2025 after being selected in the Rule 5 Draft, and then struggled to a 13.24 ERA over his first 17 innings in the majors. The Athletics returned Murdock to Kansas City in May 2025, and after becoming a minor league free agent at season’s end, Murdock caught on with Pittsburgh.
Over 30 2/3 combined innings at three different minor league levels in 2026, Murdock has a 4.11 ERA, 63.9% groundball rate, 31.5% strikeout rate, and 7.3% walk rate. The latter number may be the most important, as Murdock has struggled greatly with his control over the years. If Murdock can keep his walks in check while maintaining his career-long ability to induce grounders at a high rate, it could greatly help his chances of sticking in the big leagues.
It is likely that another team took notice of these secondary metrics and perhaps forced the Pirates’ hand in making the roster move. Given how Pittsburgh has struggled to find effective bullpen help all year, it seems possible that Murdock will get another look in the Show before too long if he keeps up the good work at Triple-A.
Wendzel was another offseason minor league signing, and the infielder had his contract selected to the 26-man roster in June to add some depth when Konnor Griffin was still on the injured list. Wendzel appeared in only two games with the Pirates before he was optioned back down to Triple-A, and his DFA comes only a couple of days after he was placed on the Triple-A injured list.
Other than his two games with the Bucs, Wendzel’s MLB resume consists of 27 games with the Rangers in 2024, and he has hit only .118/.151/.216 over 53 plate appearances at the big league level. His career Triple-A slash line of .237/.341/.439 in 1875 PA is much more solid, and Wendzel even enjoyed a 30-homer season when playing with the Rangers’ top affiliate in 2023.
Most of Wendzel’s experience in the field has come at shortstop and third base, but he has also logged some time at the other two infield positions plus both corner outfield slots. Between this versatility and his Triple-A numbers, another team in need of depth might be inclined to make a waiver claim on Wendzel. Because Wendzel has been outrighted in the past, he can decline an outright assignment from the Pirates if he clears waivers, and then opt for free agency if he chooses.
