Pirates' T.J. Rivera: Joins Pirates on minors deal

Rivera agreed to a minor-league contract with the Pirates on Friday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Rivera has not appeared in the majors since 2017. He underwent Tommy John surgery in September of that year and was slow to recover, spelling the end of his time with the Mets. After a brief stint in the independent Atlantic League, Rivera returned to affiliated ball to continue chasing the dream. A .304/.335/.445 hitter in 106 major-league games, Rivera figures to report to Triple-A Indianapolis to begin his time in the Pirates organization.