The Pittsburgh Pirates today claimed outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.
Smith-Njigba, who was a member of Pittsburgh’s 2023 Opening Day roster, spent a majority of last season with Triple-A Indianapolis, where he hit .280 (109-for-389) with 28 doubles, 15 homers, 74 RBI, 21 stolen bases and a .366 OBP in 105 games.
The 24-year-old Smith-Njigba was designated for assignment by Pittsburgh on January 31 before being claimed off waivers by Seattle on February 7.
Right-handed pitcher JT Brubaker has been placed on the 60-day injured list to make room for Smith-Njigba on the 40-man roster.
The Pirates have also officially signed right-handed pitcher Chase Anderson to a minor league contract, which includes an invitation to big league camp.
Anderson has a career record of 59-56 with one save, a 4.35 ERA (1049.0ip/507er) and 881 strikeouts in 218 appearances (200 starts) in the big leagues with Arizona (2014-15), Milwaukee (2016-19), Toronto (2020), Philadelphia (2021), Cincinnati (2022), Tampa Bay (2023) and Colorado (2023).
The 36-year-old Anderson attended big league camp with Cincinnati last year before beginning the season with Triple-A Louisville. Anderson was traded to Tampa Bay on May 3, made two scoreless relief appearances for the Rays, designated for assignment on May 10 and claimed off waivers by Colorado on May 12. He went a combined 1-6 with a 5.42 ERA (86.1ip/52er) in 19 appearances (17 starts) last season between Tampa Bay and Colorado, which included a 3.44 ERA (36.2ip/14er) in his last seven starting assignments.
Anderson will wear uniform No. 85.
