The Pittsburgh Pirates will add veterans Melky Cabrera and Francisco Liriano to their Opening Day roster, the team announced Saturday.
Both players had been with the Pirates on minor-league deals during spring training. Pittsburgh is expected to clear at least one spot on its 40-man roster by placing right-hander Edgar Santana on the 60-day injured list.
Cabrera, 34, provides Pittsburgh with a switch-hitting option off the bench and an occasional starter at the corner outfield spots. He is a .286 lifetime hitter with 137 home runs and 807 RBIs in 1,754 career games with seven big-league teams.
Last season, Cabrera hit .280 with six homers and 39 RBIs in 78 games with the Cleveland Indians.
The 35-year-old Liriano will return to Pittsburgh, where the left-hander pitched from 2013-16. He owns a 107-111 career record with a 4.18 ERA.
Liriano spent last season with the Detroit Tigers, going 5-12 with a 4.58 ERA in 27 games (26 starts). He had 110 strikeouts in 133 2/3 innings.
