The Pittsburgh Pirates traded left-handed reliever Nik Turley to the Oakland A’s on Thursday for cash considerations.
Turley, 31, was 0-3 with a 4.98 ERA and 1.108 WHIP with 20 strikeouts and 11 walks in 21 2/3 innings over 25 appearances last season. Turley is 0-5, with a 7.78 ERA and 1.58 WHIP in 39 1/3 innings over 35 games in his career.
Turley had been designated for assignment Tuesday to clear room on the 40-man roster when the Pirates claimed outfielder Troy Stokes Jr. off waivers from the Detroit Tigers.
The 6-foot-4, 235-pounder was a great comeback story, as the 2008 50th-round draft pick recovered from a suspension for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs and Tommy John surgery to pitch in the majors for the first time since 2017.
Turley earned his first major-league save in a 2-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Aug. 27, pitching a scoreless seventh inning in the second game of a doubleheader. But he finished with more blown leads and blown saves, as the Pirates’ bullpen struggled to protect late-inning leads.
