Indians and Pirates Announce Preliminary Opening Day Roster

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Indians, in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Pirates, today announced their Opening Day roster for the 2021 season. After the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indians take the field for the first time in over 20 months on Tuesday, May 4, opening on the road against the Iowa Cubs. They return to Victory Field on Tuesday, May 11 to kick off a six-game series vs. Toledo, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 PM ET.

Triple-A rosters for the upcoming season have been expanded to 28 active players and a five-man taxi squad, an increase from the usual 25-player rosters from previous seasons. Of the 28 players currently on Indy’s roster, three are ranked among Pittsburgh’s top 30 prospects by Baseball America.

Miguel Yajure, who was traded to Pittsburgh from New York (AL) on Jan. 24, 2021 in a deal that sent RHP Jameson Taillon to the Yankees, enters the minor league season ranked as the Pirates No. 10 prospect by Baseball America. The 23-year-old Venezuelan made his major league debut in 2020 and has made one start for the Pirates so far this season.

Travis Swaggerty, Pittsburgh’s first-round selection (10th overall) in the 2018 First-Year Player Draft, enters the season rated at No. 14 in the Pirates farm system by Baseball America. Swaggerty spent the 2020 season in Altoona, Pa. at Pittsburgh’s Alternate Training Site. He appeared in 121 games with High-A Bradenton in 2019.

Other notable names include outfielder and Pittsburgh’s No. 26 prospect (Baseball America) Jared Oliva, who suffered an oblique injury at the alternate site and will begin the season on the injured list, and reliever Nick Mears, who made his MLB debut in 2020 after entering that season ranked as Pittsburgh’s No. 17 prospect by the same publication.

Returners to the Indians roster include 2019 MiLB Rawlings Gold Glove Award winning first baseman Will Craig, second baseman Kevin Kramer, shortstop Cole Tucker, third baseman Hunter Owen and pitchers Matt Eckelman, Geoff Hartlieb, James Marvel, Cody Ponce, Cam Vieaux and Blake Weiman. Craig, Hartlieb, Ponce and Tucker are the only four returners who saw playing time with Pittsburgh in 2020.

Pitchers (18)
RHP Tyler Bashlor
RHP Chase De Jong
RHP Matt Eckelman
RHP Jandel Gustave
RHP Geoff Hartlieb
RHP Kyle Keller
RHP James Marvel
RHP Nick Mears
RHP Cody Ponce
RHP Shea Spitzbarth
RHP Beau Sulser
RHP Steven Wright
RHP Miguel Yajure
LHP Joe Jacques
LHP Braeden Ogle
LHP Chasen Shreve
LHP Cam Vieaux
LHP Blake Weiman

Position Players (15)
C Jason Delay
C Joe Hudson
C Andrew Susac
1B Will Craig
2B Kevin Kramer
SS Connor Kaiser
SS Cole Tucker
3B Dylan Busby
3B Hunter Owen
OF Anthony Alford
OF Dustin Fowler
OF Jared Oliva (injured list)
OF Chris Sharpe
OF Troy Stokes Jr.
OF Travis Swaggerty