The Pirates today assigned pitchers Virgil Vasquez and Eric Hacker to Triple-A Indianapolis, and catcher Steve Lerud to Double-A Altoona.

The Pirates now have 36 players on their 40-man roster, plus pitchers Jose Ascanio and Evan Meek, on the 60-day disabled list.

Vasquez split 2009 between the Pirates and Indianapolis. He had a 2-5 record and a 5.84 earned run average in 14 appearances with the Pirates, seven as a starter. He was 7-4 with a 3.93 ERA in 19 appearances, all starts, for Indianapolis.

Hacker had three appearances for the Pirates in 2009, all in relief. He had no decisions and a 6.00 ERA.

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