The Pirates designated Sanders for assignment Saturday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.
A day after losing his place on the active roster, Sanders will now also be removed from the 40-man to help create space for new acquisitions Brandon Eisert and Jacob Gonzalez. Sanders has struggled in the big leagues up to this point but owns a 2.96 ERA through 24.1 innings in the minors, which could draw interest on the waiver wire from bullpen-needy teams.