The Pittsburgh Pirates released/non-tendered relief pitcher Wil Crowe (shoulder) on Tuesday, cutting ties with a former starter and quality reliever in 2022 who struggled in 2023. The 29-year-old right-hander made just five relief appearances this past season before landing on the 60-day injured list with a shoulder injury. He also made 14 appearances at Triple-A Indianapolis after he was designated for assignment on July 19. In 9 2/3 innings at the big-league level, he gave up six runs (five earned) while walking nine and striking out nine. Crowe's flexibility as an option to start games should help his cause when it comes to landing another contract with another team this offseason.
The Pittsburgh Pirates will designate relief pitcher Wil Crowe (shoulder) for assignment once he comes off the 60-day injured list. Crowe initially came to Pittsburgh as one half of the Josh Bell trade. He had been rehabbing at Triple-A Indianapolis and was close to rejoining the team. The 28-year-old right-hander hasn't pitched for the Pirates since late April due to a right-shoulder injury, but he's looked good during his minor-league rehab assignment and could be claimed off waivers by another team to add bullpen depth. Crowe had one save and allowed six runs (five earned) on nine hits while walking nine and striking out nine over 9 2/3 relief innings for Pittsburgh before getting hurt earlier this year. He's off the fantasy radar for now.
Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Wil Crowe (shoulder) began a minor-league rehab assignment with Single-A Bradenton on July 2 and has tossed 3 1/3 scoreless frames since then, allowing two hits while walking one and striking out two in three outings (one start). If he can avoid any setbacks with his right shoulder, he should rejoin Pittsburgh's bullpen shortly after this week's All-Star break. Before going on the injured list, the 28-year-old right-hander had a 4.66 ERA (5.87 FIP), 1.86 WHIP, one save, nine walks and nine strikeouts in 9 2/3 relief innings for the Bucs. When healthy, he will operate as an important setup man before closer David Bednar, making him an option in fantasy leagues that count holds.
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Wil Crowe (elbow) was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday with right elbow inflammation. His season is officially over, and it's unknown at this time if the right-hander will return by the start of Spring Training. The 28-year-old posted a 6-10 record, a 4.38 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, and a 68:38 K: BB across 76 innings. Crowe was used in high-leverage situations, converting 4-of-6 save opportunities and securing 16 holds in 2022. Junior Fernandez was recalled in a corresponding move.
Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Wil Crowe earned a win in the 5-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night. He entered the contest in the eighth inning and allowed an inherited runner to score, but he threw a clean ninth inning and the Pirates came back for a walk-off victory. The 27-year-old right-hander tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings while giving up one hit, walking none and striking out one in the outing. Crowe has two wins and one save since closer David Bednar (back) landed on the injured list, and he has a 3.27 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, three saves and 59 strikeouts in 63 1/3 innings this year. Still, he's the best bet in fantasy to continue seeing save chances for Pittsburgh until Bednar is able to return.
Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Wil Crowe picked up his third save of the season in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Brewers. Crowe came in to pitch the ninth inning with a two-run lead. He struck the first hitter out, allowed a single, and then struck the next two hitters out to end the game. Closer David Bednar (back) was not available due to lower back discomfort, and Crowe has seen eight save opportunities of his own this season with a respectable 3.16 ERA. As such, Crowe may be worth a look in deeper roto leagues if Bednar were to miss any time with an injury.
Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Wil Crowe closed the door on the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday to earn his second save of the year. He pitched a perfect ninth inning, retiring each of the three batters he faced while throwing just 11 pitches. Crowe is now 2-for-4 on save chances this year. The team's primary closer, David Bednar, pitched on both Saturday and Monday, so the team likely wanted to give him the day off on Tuesday. Bednar, with his nine saves and a 1.38 ERA, is the only must-roster reliever on the Pirates for now. If he were to be sidelined, however, Crowe looks to be the next man up for saves.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Wil Crowe looked sharp on the mound on Sunday afternoon, allowing two runs over five innings while striking out eight, but he did not factor into the decision in a 5-2 loss to the Brewers. It was a nice bounce back performance from Crowe in his first start back after he was demoted to Triple-A Indianapolis on June 3. Crowe had been 0-4 with a 7.26 ERA prior to Sunday's outing, as his eight strikeouts on Sunday were a season-high for him. It's too early to put too much faith into him, but he could be worth looking at as a potential streaming option in deep mixed and NL-only formats.
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Wil Crowe will start on Sunday in Milwaukee. This will be the righty's first time on the bump for the big club since being optioned to Triple-A at the beginning of June. Nonetheless, fantasy managers looking for someone to fill a void may want to try elsewhere, primarily after the 26-year-old has posted a 0-4 record and a 7.26 ERA throughout seven starts on the year.
Wil Crowe Pitches Adequately Against San Francisco
Pittsburgh Pirates starter Wil Crowe turned in an acceptable enough performance in the Buccos' 3-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants Thursday. Crowe allowed all of the Giants runs across his five innings of work, with each run being scored in the fifth inning. He gave up a solo home run to Steven Duggar before Mike Tauchman scored on Jacob Stalling's throwing error and was then tripled in to score by Mike Yastrzemski. The former Nationals hurler looked the part as an acceptable starter, but that does not mean much of anything in standard-sized leagues. Crowe's full-season numbers of 4.35 ERA and 1.35 WHIP could lead managers to think he is a decent streaming option when facing a weak opponent, but he is better left on the waiver wire. Facing off against the Cardinals next in St. Louis, Crowe is best left off your roster for the foreseeable future.