The Pirates are selecting the contract of right-hander , according to a club announcement. Right-hander was transferred to the 60-day injured list to make room for Rainey on the 40-man roster, while Raineys active roster spot will come at the expense of infielder . The veteran utility man is being placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right hamstring strain, and the move is retroactive to May 1. Rainey, 32, signed with the Pirates on a minor league deal back in December after being non-tendered by the Nationals just a couple of weeks prior. Originally drafted in the second round of the 2015 draft by the Reds, Rainey debuted with Cincinnati back in 2018 but was flipped to Washington prior to the 2019 season and has spent the vast majority of his career in the nations capital. In parts of six seasons with the Nats, Rainey has generally been a serviceable middle reliever with a 4.49 ERA Malik Sealy Jersey (94 ERA+) and a 28.5% strikeout rate in his 182 1/3 innings of work. Those numbers are decent enough, and he even earned some run as the clubs closer while the team was rebuilding in 2022 as he picked up 12 saves, but Raineys hefty 14.1% walk rate largely locked him out of the late innings with the club. His performance in 2024, when he pitched to a 4.76 ERA (86 ERA+) with a 5.42 FIP and a 12.6% walk rate against a strikeout rate of just 19.0%, was enough to convince the Nationals to move on from him rather than pay him an arbitration-level salary. Even so, the Pirates were interested enough in his strikeout-heavy profile to bring him into the fold as a potential depth option. Hell now get a new big league opportunity with his third organization amid a season where the Pirates bullpen has largely been in flux. Meanwhile, Kiner-Falefa exits Pittsburghs positional mix after hitting .280/.333/.330 in 109 plate appearances acro s his first 30 games of the year. The veterans lack of power means that line is overall good for a wRC+ of 87, but hes been getting on base at a solid clip, keeping his strikeouts under control, and playing solid defense as the clubs reular shortstop. The Pirates will need to figure things out at the position without Kiner-Falefas steady glove, and that could be easier said than done. It would be a surprise if the Pirates opted to move back onto the infield dirt after hes worked to improve as their everyday center fielder, which could leave the club to rely on as its everyday shortstop for the time being. As for Lawrence, it was revealed earlier this week that Lawrence was on his elbow injury. The diagnosis from that second opinion has not yet been revealed, but his transfer to the 60-day IL seems to indicate that Pittsburgh bra s are expecting a fairly lengthy absence for their right-hander. Its a frustrating blow to the Pirates bullpen, as his 11 1/3 innings of work with the club have been nothing short of fantastic with a 0.79 ERA and a 2.53 FIP. Lawrence was one of the biggest pleasant surprises of the Pirates young season so far, and now theyll need to hope that Rainey or one of their other bullpen arms can similarly surprise and pick up the slack. Naz Reid Jersey