The Pittsburgh Pirates signed veteran relief pitcher Kyle Farnsworth to a minor league deal and assigned him to Triple-A Indianapolis, the team announced on Friday.
Farnsworth appeared in 39 games for the Tampa Bay Rays this season, posting a 5.76 ERA and a career-low strikeout rate of 5.8 per nine innings. The Rays designated Farnsworth for assignment on Aug. 9 and released him a day later.
The 37-year-old right-hander is in his 15th big-league season and pitched for six organizations -- the Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Kansas City Royals and Rays -- prior to joining the Pirates.
Pittsburgh's bullpen ranks second in the National League with a 2.75 ERA, but the team's closer, Jason Grilli, has been on the disabled list since July 23 and likely won't return until early September.
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