Pirates claim catcher Eric Fryer

     Pirates have claimed catcher Eric Fryer from the St. Louis Cardinals. Fryer, 30, was designated for assignment by the Cardinals when Brayan Pena got healthy. He was slashing .368/.415/.421 with 0 HRs and 5 RBI in limited time with St. Louis this year. 

     Of course, we all know that Eric Fryer began his MLB career with the Pirates in 2011 after being drafted by Milwaukee in 2007. He's also had a stint with the Twins and one with the Cardinals before his current return to Pittsburgh. 

     He figures to replace Erik Kratz, who scored the winning runs in 2 games for the Pirates, but only collecting 3 hits in all his time. He also put together a scoreless inning in relief against the Giants. It is unclear whether the Pirates will hold onto Fryer once Cervelli gets back from the DL and Stewart gets back to 100%. For now, Fryer should provide the Pirates will a little bit more stability behind the plate as a backup than Kratz. We will see.