Escobar was added to the Pirates' 40-man roster Monday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The 21-year-old right-hander has yet to advance past the low levels of the minor leagues, so he's still a ways off, but Escobar is now protected from next month's Rule 5 draft. He battled some walk issues with Low-A West Virginia last season but struck out 29.9 percent of the batters he faced and allowed just nine homers in 131.2 innings, resulting in a 3.52 FIP.