PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates have placed reliever Juan Cruz on the restricted list and called up left-handed reliever Doug Slaten from Triple-A Indianapolis.
The team says Cruz will return to his home in the Dominican Republic to take care of personal business. The veteran right-hander has been a key part of a bullpen that leads the National League in ERA. Cruz is 1-1 with a 1.45 ERA in 20 appearances this season for Pittsburgh after signing a one-year deal with the team in the offseason.
Slaten is 2-0 with eight saves and a 0.36 ERA in 20 minor-league games this spring.