Burnett

PITTSBURGH — Left-hander Sean Burnett cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Pittsburgh Pirates' Triple-A Indianapolis farm club.

The move erases Burnett from the club's 40-man roster, but he will attend spring training next week as a nonroster player.

Burnett was the Pirates' first-round draft pick in 2000. He won five consecutive starts shortly after being recalled in 2004, but he needed reconstructive left elbow surgery later that year. He also had an operation to repair his left shoulder, a problem related to his elbow injury.

Burnett has not pitched in the majors since, and Pirates scouts said his velocity was down when he recently made six winter ball starts in Venezuela.