PITTSBURGH — The Pirates have designated first baseman Ike Davis for assignment and have added pitcher Jameson Taillon to the 40-man roster.
Davis hit .235 with 10 homers and 46 RBIs in 131 games with Pittsburgh after he was acquired in an April trade from the New York Mets. The left-handed Davis served as part of a platoon at first base with right-handed Gaby Sanchez but found himself out of a job with the Pirates likely moving Pedro Alvarez to first in 2015.
Pittsburgh has 10 days to trade Davis or release him. Had he remained on the roster past Dec. 2, he would have been eligible for salary arbitration and in line to receive a large raise from his $3.5 million salary.
Taillon, the second overall pick in the 2010 amateur draft, missed the 2014 season after Tommy John surgery on his right arm.
Pittsburgh also added catcher Elias Diaz, infielder Pedro Florimon, outfielder Willy Garcia and pitcher Nick Kingman to its 40-man roster.