PITTSBURGH -- Michael Morse was designated for assignment by the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday, less than two years after he drove in the winning run for the San Francisco Giants in Game 7 of the 2014 World Series.
The Pirates dropped Morse, who was 0-for-8 in six games, to open a spot on the 40-man roster for right-hander AJ Schugel, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Indianapolis.
The Dodgers are paying $2.93 million of Morse's $8-million salary as part of the trade that sent him from Los Angeles to the Pirates last July 31. A day earlier, the Dodgers acquired Morse from the Miami Marlins as part of a three-team, 13-player trade that also included the Atlanta Braves.
If Morse clears waivers and signs a major league contract with another club, a prorated share of the $507,500 minimum would be offset against what Pirates owe.
The 34-year-Morse helped give the Giants their third World Series title in five years when his fourth-inning single broke a 2-2 tie and gave San Francisco a 3-2 victory.
Schugel was called up because the Pirates wanted to add an extra pitcher after left-hander Francisco Liriano was scratched from his scheduled start Wednesday night against the Detroit Tigers because of a strained right hamstring. Long reliever Ryan Vogelsong was scheduled to make the start.
The 26-year-old Schugel pitched one scoreless inning in his lone relief appearance with Indianapolis. He made his major league debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks last season and had a 5.68 ERA in five relief outings.
The Pirates also announced that infielder Pedro Florimon cleared waivers and has been assigned outright to Indianapolis. He has until Saturday to accept or refuse the assignment. Right-hander John Holdzkom opted to become a free agent after clearing waivers.
Both Florimon and Holdzkom were designated for assignment April 3.
