Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Caleb Smith is being stretched out as a starter in spring training, according to pitching coach Oscar Marin. The 31-year-old southpaw served as a reliever in 2022 with the Arizona Diamondbacks before a torn elbow ligament ended his season. However, Smith didn't need surgery on his elbow and reported to camp healthy with Pittsburgh after signing a minor-league deal. Along with Smith, Quinn Priester, Mike Burrows, Johan Oviedo and Luis Ortiz are candidates to make ...

Free-agent left-hander Caleb Smith agreed to a minor-league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday. The deal includes an invitation to major-league spring training. Smith previously pitched for the New York Yankees, Miami Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks. The 31-year-old southpaw spent last year with the Diamondbacks and went 1-3 with a 4.11 ERA (5.57 FIP), 1.37 WHIP and 21.5 percent walk rate in 70 innings over 44 appearances (only one start). Smith has made 64 career major-league starts ...

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Caleb Smith (elbow) suffered an elbow injury in Wednesday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers. He allowed one hit and one walk while striking out three across 1 2/3 innings before exiting. The 31-year-old will undergo imaging to determine the severity of his injury. He finished the 2022 season with a 1-3 record, a 4.11 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and a 65:39 K: BB across 70 innings. Smith will have a whole offseason to be ready for Spring Training in 2023.

The Arizona Diamondbacks optioned left-handed pitcher Caleb Smith to Triple-A on Sunday. Right-handed pitcher Matt Peacock was called up in a corresponding move. Smith began the year as a member of the team's starting rotation, but he was shelled in his first outing. Facing the San Diego Padres on April 10, he allowed five runs (four earned) over just one inning. He then allowed another five earned runs over three innings in relief this past Friday. Peacock, meanwhile, made his MLB debut with ...

Arizona Diamondbacks left-handed pitcher Caleb Smith will begin the season as a member of the team's starting rotation. He will be joining Madison Bumgarner, Merrill Kelly, Zach Davies and Zac Gallen in the rotation. Smith started 13 games for the D-backs last year, but also made 35 relief appearances. Over 113.2 total innings in 2021, he had a 4.83 ERA, a 1.37 WHIP and a 24.8% strikeout rate. He pitched 14 innings this spring and had some mixed results as he allowed nine hits, eight walks ...

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Caleb Smith had his 10-game suspension for foreign substance use upheld and he will begin the suspension on Saturday, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Smith was ejected from a game three weeks ago due to the presence of a foreign substance on his glove, and he had been appealing the decision. Smith had been looking solid since moving back into the bullpen, going 1-1 with two holds, a 3.00 ERA, 1.056 WHIP and 21.9 percent strikeout rate over his ...

Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Caleb Smith received a 10-game foreign-substance suspension on Tuesday after he was ejected from his start against the Philadelphia Phillies last Wednesday after he was suspected of having foreign substances on his glove. Smith is appealing the suspension, so he won't be suspended right away. The 30-year-old southpaw becomes the second major league pitcher -- Hector Santiago being the other -- to receive a 10-game suspension for foreign substances this year. ...

Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Caleb Smith was ejected from Wednesday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies for the illegal use of foreign substances on his glove. Smith entered the game in the sixth inning and went on to pitch 2 2/3 innings before the ejection in the eighth inning. The four umpires in the game all gathered in the eighth inning to inspect Smith's glove and all agreed that a foreign substance was present. After the game, Smith denied any wrongdoing, saying, "I know the ...

Welcome to Are You For Real?, a weekly column where we look at pitchers who turned in surprisingly good starts and try to determine whether they are the real deal. It was apparently the week of the lefty and the week of the Diamondback, as we're breaking down three southpaws in this piece, including two that pitch out in the desert for Arizona.This week we're looking at a possible resurgence of the embattled Caleb Smith, the unlikeliest of emergent Yankees in Nestor Cortes Jr., and of course ...

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Caleb Smith will be removed from the starting rotation and shifted back to the bullpen, per manager Torey Lovullo. It's undecided who will take Smith's spot in the rotation. The southpaw owned an ugly 14.04 ERA over 16 2/3 innings and has now allowed five earned runs or more in each of his last five starts. Smith began 2021 in the rotation and, after a few rough outings, was demoted to the bullpen earlier in the year. The 30-year-old will transition to a relief role...