The Pittsburgh Pirates designated right-hander Camilo Doval for assignment on Tuesday, ending a brief and unremarkable stay for the former All-Star closer just seven weeks after they traded for him.
The corresponding move was the activation of veteran reliever Kirby Yates from the 15-day injured list, via the MLB transaction log.
Doval, 29, arrived from the New York Yankees on Aug. 1 in exchange for catching prospect Omar Alfonzo and outfielder Luis Cruz.
Pittsburgh hoped a change of scenery would restore the mid-90s sinker and slider combination that once made him one of the National League’s most reliable late-inning arms. Instead, the Pirates got a pitcher still fighting the same command issues that had already cost him his role in the Bronx.
In 20 appearances with Pittsburgh, Doval posted a 3.79 ERA over 19 innings. He struck out 23 batters but walked 14, good for a 1.74 WHIP.
His walk rate climbed after the trade, and he never settled into a high-leverage role in a bullpen that needed exactly that. For the full season, split between New York and Pittsburgh, he was 3-2 with a 4.30 ERA, 62 strikeouts and a 1.52 WHIP in 58 2/3 innings.
That is a long way from 2023, when Doval made the All-Star team with San Francisco and tied for the National League lead with 39 saves. He still owns 109 career saves and a 3.54 ERA over six major-league seasons, but the last two years have been defined by walks, hard contact and diminishing trust.
Manager Don Kelly framed the DFA as a roster and innings decision more than a verdict on Doval’s stuff.
“He had some really good games and a couple tough ones,” Kelly said. “He’s got some really good stuff, and ultimately, it really just came down to being able to maximize innings, and especially with some younger guys, too, that have pitched pretty well themselves.”
The timing is unusual. Doval is owed only a small remainder of his $6.1 million salary and was already a likely non-tender candidate this winter as he entered his final year of arbitration.
Because he has more than five years of service time, he can refuse an outright assignment and still collect what is left of his 2026 pay if he clears waivers. Any claiming club cannot use him in the postseason.
Yates, 39, returns from a right shoulder impingement after posting a 2.19 ERA in 13 games for Pittsburgh since arriving from the Angels.
The Pirates, already out of the playoff race, are using the final week to evaluate younger arms and veterans they may actually want back.
Doval, once a closer on an All-Star stage, is now a waiver-wire name — still throwing hard, still searching for the command that made him a star.
