Bullington

PITTSBURGH — Starting pitcher Bryan Bullington, the No. 1 pick in the June 2002 draft, was claimed on waivers Thursday by the Cleveland Indians after the Pittsburgh Pirates removed him from their 40-man roster.

The Pirates had planned to reassign the 27-year-old Bullington to their Triple-A Indianapolis farm club if he passed through waivers. He was 4-6 with a 5.52 ERA in 15 starts for Indianapolis this season.

On a busy day in the Pirates' minor league system, the team traded former starting outfielder Craig Wilson to the Seattle Mariners for a player to be named. Wilson was hitting .230 with 10 homers and 27 RBIs at Triple-A Indianapolis.

The Pirates also acquired right-hander Dan Reichert and infielder-outfielder Ryan Mulhern from the Indians, also for a player to be named.

Reichert was 1-3 with a 4.40 ERA in eight games since joining Triple-A Buffalo, where Mulhern had a .250 average with seven homers and 26 RBI in 58 games.

Pirates general manager Neal Huntington was a former Indians executive before taking the Pirates' job last year.

Bullington was designated for assignment June 27 without him winning a game in the majors for Pittsburgh. He was recalled by the Pirates for two weeks earlier in the season, but never pitched.

The right-hander was 0-3 with a 5.89 ERA in six games, including three starts, with Pittsburgh in 2005 and 2007. Bullington missed the 2006 season for right shoulder surgery.

The former Ball State pitcher was drafted ahead of players such as B.J. Upton, Prince Fielder, Scott Kazmir, Nick Swisher and Cole Hamels, mostly because the Pirates felt they had a better chance of signing him.

In an unrelated move, the Pirates recalled right-hander Luis Munoz from Double-A Altoona, where he was recently sent after being demoted from Indianapolis.

Munoz takes the roster spot of former first-round draft pick John Van Benschoten, who was returned to Indianapolis for the second time this season after lasting 4X\c innings Wednesday night against Houston.