Pirates designate pitcher Jeff Locke for assignment
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}PITTSBURGH (AP) The Pittsburgh Pirates are done waiting to see if pitcher Jeff Locke can return to the form that made him an All-Star in 2013.
The Pirates designated Locke for assignment on Tuesday to make room on the 40-man roster for minor league pitcher Lisalverto Bonilla.
The 29-year-old Locke was an unlikely All-Star in 2013 when he began the season 9-2 with a 2.11 ERA. He struggled during the second half and proved only sporadically effective while serving as the fifth starter. His ERA ballooned all the way to a career-worst 5.44 in 2016, when he went 9-8 and spent the last few months working primarily out of the bullpen.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bonilla, 26, appeared in five games for the Texas Rangers in 2014. He spent 2016 with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization working both as a starter and a reliever.