Pirates claim pitcher Beck, catcher Solis off waivers

The Pirates acquired a fresh battery through waivers on Thursday, claiming right-hander Chad Beck from the Blue Jays and catcher Roman Solis from the Padres.

To make room for the two on their 40-man roster, the Bucs designated for assignment catcher Eric Fryer and first baseman Jeff Clement.

The addition of Beck is somewhat ironic, in that one of his brief tenures last season in Toronto apparently ended when he had to make room for Brad Lincoln, whom the Blue Jays had landed in a July 31 Trade Deadline deal with the Pirates for outfielder Travis Snider.

Beck, 27, had seven scoreless appearances among his 14 for Toronto last season, compiling an overall ERA of 6.32 in 15 2/3 Major League innings. He'd made his big-league debut with three scoreless appearances in 2011.

A 14th-round Draft pick in 2006 by the Diamondbacks -- he went to Toronto in a 2008 deal for infielder David Eckstein -- Beck had a breakthrough Minor League season in 2012, with 18 saves and a 1.31 ERA in 43 appearances for Triple-A Las Vegas.

Solis, who goes by his middle name of Ali, signed with San Diego in 2005 as an amateur free agent out of Mexico. He made his brief big-league debut in 2012, after hitting .283 in 87 games with Double-A San Antonio.

Solis was chosen to both the mid-season and postseason Texas League All-Star teams. He threw out 28 percent of runners trying to steal (29 of 104).

Fryer, 27, acquired in a June 2009 deal from the Yankees for Eric Hinske, appeared in 16 games across the last two seasons for the Pirates.

Clement, a No. 1 Draft choice of the Mariners in 2005, has battled injuries for much of his career. He had a strong comeback season with Triple-A Indianapolis (.276, with 16 homers and 57 RBIs in 112 games) before joining the Bucs, primarily as a pinch-hitter, going 3-for-22.