BRADENTON, Fla. — The Pittsburgh Pirates added another veteran reliever to their bullpen competition by signing right-hander Austin Brice to a minor league contract.
A source confirmed that Brice, 29, is a nonroster invitee to spring training moments after he entered the clubhouse at LECOM Park.
The 6-foot-4, 238-pound Brice is 4-4 with a 5.17 ERA and 1.31 WHIP over 140 relief appearances in six seasons in the majors with the Miami Marlins, Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox. Brice is the first Hong Kong-born player in MLB history, though he grew up in Pittsboro, N.C.
Brice was 0-0 with a 6.59 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in 13 appearances last season with the Red Sox. His repertoire features a 93-mph four-seam fastball, curveball and sinker, though he also has a changeup. Brice averaged 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings with the Red Sox in 2020, when he made 20 appearances.
His best season was in 2019 with Miami, when Brice had a 3.43 ERA in 44 2/3 innings over 36 appearances.
Brice is the third pitcher signed by the Pirates in the past two days. They also signed righty reliever Heath Hembree to a one-year, $2.125-million contract and added righty starter Chase DeJong to a minor league deal as a nonroster invitee.
