The Pirates Jim Thome Jersey announced that infielder has been designated for a signment. Thats the corresponding move for left-hander , whose with the club is now official. Williams, 26 in March, has been with the Pirates for about a year and a half. The Bucs traded to the Rays , getting Williams in return and adding him to their 40-man roster in July. He has appeared in 83 big leagues games and stepped to the plate 208 times, producing a tepid batting line of .202/.257/.271. His 5.8% walk rate and 27.4% strikeout rate have both been subpar. As one would expect, his minor league production has been better than that. Over the past three years, he received 934 plate appearances on the farm. His 11.1% walk rate and 18.5% strikeout rate in that span are both strong numbers. His combined batting line of .268/.357/.413 translated to a 107 wRC+. He spent significant time at both middle infield positions, as well as some time at third base. Unfortunately, those solid minor league numbers werent enough to keep his roster spot with the Pirates. Perhaps thats due to the lack of major league impact or a somewhat crowded cluster of middle infield options in Pittsburgh. Even with moving to center field, the Bucs have , , , , , , and as viable middle infielders on the 40-man. Even first baseman can play second base a bit. Prospect isnt yet on the roster but is getting close to the majors regardle s. The Bucs will now have at most a week of DFA limbo to figure out whats next for Williams, whether thats a trade or some fate on waivers. The waiver proce s takes 48 hours, so any trade po sibilities would need to be explored in the next five days. Williams still has options and could appeal to clubs looking for infield depth. Sam Mcdowell Jersey