Pittsburg, PA
Pirates Secure Pitcher With 40-Man Roster Move
WASHINGTON — The Pittsburgh Pirates could’ve lost a pitcher they valued, but they made sure they didn’t let him go elsewhere.
The Pirates announced that they selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Noah Murdock to the 40-man roster and optioned him to Triple-A Indianapolis on July 5.
Pittsburgh needed room on their 40-man roster and did this by designating infielder Davis Wendzel for assignment.
The Pirates can now recall Murdock to the 26-man roster with this move and also move him between the minor leagues and major leagues as needed.
Why The Pirates Added Murdock to 40-Man Roster
It’s an interesting move from the Pirates, not one that necessarily has massive ramifications on the team, but more so from a contract stand point.
Murdock had an assignment clause in the minor league contract he signed with the Pirates this past offseason.
This allows another MLB team to add Murdock to their 26-man roster and the Pirates had to either let him go to that MLB team or put him on their 40-man roster. The Pirates doing so signals that there was interest of another team doing exactly this.
It is somewhat different than when a player exercises an upward mobility clause, which would’ve required the Pirates to add Murdock to their 26-man roster or let him go to another team, which they did with left-handed pitcher Joe La Sorsa, who they traded to the Boston Red Sox on June 4.
The Pirates decided that it was worth it to add him to their 40-man roster and let Wendzel go, who had played for them this season.
Pittsburgh selected Wendzel’s contract on June 7 and then after two games, optioned him back to Indianapolis on June 11.
Wendzel also went on the 7-day injured list on July 3, so the Pirates likely decided that they’d want a healthy minor leaguer on their 40-man roster rather than one who wasn’t.
What the Pirates Will Get From Murdock
There isn’t a guarantee that Murdock will play for the Pirates this season, but this move means that there’s always the possibility.
Murdock built back up this season, first pitching with Single-A Bradenton, then Double-A Altoona and with Indianapolis most recently.
He has posted a 2-2 record in 24 relief appearances with one start, with a 4.11 ERA over 30.2 innings pitched, 39 strikeouts to nine walks, a .223 batting average allowed (BAA) and a 1.11 WHIP.
Murdock has posted a 4.26 ERA over 11 relief appearances and 12.2 innings pitched with Indianapolis, with 21 strikeouts to four walks, a .245 BAA and a 1.26 WHIP.
Expect Murdock to throw one of three pitches in a cutter, sweeper or a sinker, but he does have a changeup and four-seam fastball in his arsenal as well.
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The 24-year-old Skenes joins Rip
Noah Kahan is appropriating Will Toledo’s culture. The viral folk star’s eventful Great Divide tour happened to stop by Pittsburgh last night while the furry convention was in town, and he was for some reason very excited about that, welcoming the furries and even trying on the head of an audience member’s furry costume.
“Pittsburgh: if you are caught between attending the worlds largest furry convention or my show tonight then please know you are welcome to combine the two,” Kahan wrote on X before the show. Responding to a poster who asked what his fursona would be, he posted “Squid man.”
“Furries are welcome. All the animal kingdom is welcome tonight,” Kahan then said onstage at PNC Park. “I don’t see any so far but I will be looking and asking a lot of questions after the show.” At the prop payphone booth that’s been a part of his show setup, he took a phone call from the “National Center For Furry Awareness” and learned furries do not necessarily have sex in their suits.
“The National Center For Furry Awareness? Oh, they don’t have sex… not necessarily? Okay, well that’s good to know.”
“If there are any furries in the crowd, say, ‘Hell yeah,’” he added to a mostly furryless crowd. Watch below.
Ohio black bears
A third sighting of 2026 confirms black bears are back for good in Ohio.
If you see a black bear near Pittsburgh, give it space, and don’t let your pet bother it.
That’s the advice Allegheny County’s parks department gave locals after a bear was spotted in a lake north of Pittsburgh, with the department issuing a warning in partnership with Allegheny County Police Department on June 16.
Here’s what to know about the bear sighting and bears around the Pittsburgh area.
When, where was black bear spotted near Pittsburgh?
A black bear was spotted in North Park Lake in McCandless Township in Allegheny County just north of Pittsburgh.
Allegheny County Parks didn’t say when the bear was seen, but they posted about the sighting on Facebook on June 16, saying the Pennsylvania Game Commission had been notified and was monitoring the situation.
What should you do if you spot a black bear in Pittsburgh area?
After a black bear was spotted in North Park Lake, Allegheny County Parks and Allegheny County Police Department put out a joint statement warning residents not to bother bears.
If you see a bear, you should use caution and give it “plenty of space,” according to the county parks department. Don’t approach it, and don’t try to interact with it. If you have a pet with you, keep them controlled on a leash.
“The best thing you can do is view wildlife from a safe distance and allow it to move through the area undisturbed,” the parks department said.
The state also bans residents from feeding bears.
How common are black bears in Pittsburgh area?
Bears inhabit forested areas across more than three-quarters of Pennsylvania, though they’ve been spotted in every county, according to the state game commission. The bears seen in large urban centers and agricultural areas, like the southeastern corners of the state and parts of the western border, are generally transient, as those areas don’t have enough woods to create a good habitat.
The population of bears statewide is estimated to be about 19,000 and is managed through regulated hunting to reduce the risk of more frequent human-bear conflicts. Hunters harvested 2,873 black bears in 2026, with Tioga County reporting the most harvests. Allegheny did not rank among the counties with the top 10 most bears harvested.
Black bears are also not uncommon across the border in Ohio. The state set a record with more than 500 sightings in 2025, according to a report from the Ohio Department of National Resources, with the department finding “consistent evidence” that female black bears live in the northeast corner of the state.
Finch Walker is the Pittsburgh Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Contact Walker at FWalker@usatodayco.com. Instagram: @finchwalker_. X: @_finchwalker.
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