The Pirates will activate outfielder Corey Dickerson and infielder Jung Ho Kang for tomorrow’s game, skipper Clint Hurdle told reporters including MLB.com’s Adam Berry (via Twitter). Corresponding roster moves aren’t yet known.
Dickerson’s shoulder injury ended up costing him about two months of action. He’ll need a 40-man roster spot, since he had been moved to the 60-day IL. Kang was out for three weeks with a left side strain.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Bucs handle their roster now that they’re approaching full health. There’ll really be an abundance of corner outfielders once Lonnie Chisenhall is ready, but even Dickerson creates a bit of a crowd.
Jose Osuna could be the odd man out, though he has hit well in brief action. That would leave the club with two switch-hitting options (Melky Cabrera, Bryan Reynolds) and a pair of lefty bats (Dickerson, Gregory Polanco) in the corner mix. That’s arguably a somewhat suboptimal mix, particularly since it means carrying five players limited to outfield or pinch-hitting duties.
Hurdle will also face some tough playing time decisions. The resurgent Cabrera and newcomer Reynolds are both hitting quite well. Dickerson and Polanco are both well-established and well-compensated players. There has already been some chatter among Pirates scribes that the club could ponder trading from its outfield stock to boost a sagging pitching staff, though it remains unclear whether and when that strategy will be pursued.
It’s a bit easier to guess at the decision in the infield. Youngster Cole Tucker has not yet found sustained success at the plate and seems likely to be dispatched back to Triple-A, though that’ll leave the club with only two true middle infielders (Kevin Newman and Adam Frazier). Perhaps the Pirates will send down a pitcher and run with a seven-man bullpen for at least a stretch, but that seems unlikely to be a long-term strategy for a team that needs innings.
Whatever the move, Kang is hardly assured of a lengthy stint back on the MLB roster. He’ll need to improve upon a terrible start to the season or be sent packing.
It’ll be interesting to see how it all shakes out, both now and in the near future. We know that GM Neal Huntington is looking for ways to shore up the pitching staff. The Bucs could be a fun team to watch with seven weeks to go before the trade deadline and a four-game deficit in the division.
Desperately trying to get value from Kang. I’d give him a few more starts and if he doesn’t hit better, see ya later.
The lineup actually looks good now, afraid this will screw things up.
He doesn’t deserve starts over Moran who has earned the 3B spot.
They need Kang’s power and need to give him enough at bats to see if he still hit ML pitching.
Moran deserves to play too and is hitting righthanders well.I do not know whether he can actually play second base but they may give him time there to see what Kang can do.Or better yet,let Kang play there against righthanders.
They also need to find out if Kang can back up Newman at shortstop.
Answers to your prompts:
•He no longer consistently hits MLB pitching.
•Neither Moran nor Kang has any business playing anywhere but corner infield. They have zero range and less speed.
Have a nice day!
I disagree on Kang.You are using a small sample size.
I agree that Moran should not be playing anywhere but third base.Kang has played three positions in the past and in order to get his bat in the lineup they may need to move him to second as he does not have the range to play shortstop effectively any more other than as a temporary fill in.
You too have a nice day.
Agree with this. Kang is athletic in the field, side to side
Agreed TJ,
Moran has been a pleasant surprise.. still not worth giving up Cole for lol, but we just gotta move forward.
Cole would be gone in four months.
Moran will still be here along with the others.
They can hit but their middle relief is pitiful. Most of them shouldn’t even be in the majors. Tucker and Osuna goes probably but I’d DFA Rookie Davis. He’s shown nothing.
They could send any of five pitchers back to AAA.I think that they need to put Kingham out of his misery as this is just being harmful.
It is a bad time when you should promote Michael Feliz back up to the ML.He is better than all five of these guys.I would give DuRupeau and Keller another chance also.
The unfortunate predicament is the need for someone to pitch those innings. I want improved relief pitching, but I don’t know what feasible options are out there.
Some teams struggle with relief pitching year after year. NH has put together great bullpens most years. This year happened to fizzle.
They did more than fizzle,they completely busted.
I agree with you about the generality,they have had good bullpens,but NH did not have ML pitchers signed over the winter when he could have had decent pitchers for cheap salaries.
He put too mich faith in Rodriguez.He did not anticipate any injuries.
Brault and Kingham have not panned out in the past so how were they going to change?
The minor depth signings were predictably disastrous.Everyone says in this forum,” it’s just minor league filler”when these transactions are made,but they happen to be ML pitchers when injuries come around.
I had some hopes for this year but the “middle” level pitching has been the dregs.
Didn’t read all of that, but exactly on point about the winter acquisitions.
Absolutely should have added more pitching depth while it was available.
Should never go into a season with only 5 SP
Option a 2 of the 5 mop-up relief pitchers currently on the 25-man.
Osuna is a slick fielding first baseman who has never really gotten a good chance in Pittsburgh.
Yea, I’d like it too if they kept Osuna up.
Wonder why a team wouldn’t pry Osuna from Pitt and see what he can do in a regular role.
Hopefully see him sent out for a pitcher
If the Pirates send Reynolds back to AAA they are going to have a full fledged fan riot on their hands.
Indeed
Because yinzers are morons
So we’re morons because we don’t want to see a guy who’s batting .350/.407/.562 and has had good defense get optioned to AAA?
No.Yinzers are morons because they do not always agree with Kang Ho’s opinion.
No, the ones who don’t understand how the MLB works and expect to get Madison Bumgarner for Polanco, for example. There’s not going to suddenly be a great deal staring the Pirates in the face. Trades take time. In the interim, they need to maintain assets as well as they can.
I agree with your assessment.
I disagree on the hypothetical trade,which I think that you may have just used as an example.
Madbum is a rental pitcher who would probably go to a contender based on his playoff success in the past.He is in no way worth your cousin.
The Pirates have to hope that the starting pitching comes back and pitches like they all did the first few weeks of the season.That would greatly lessen their need to rely on the poor depth that they have.It would also help if a couple of the guys in the minors could come up and perform as they should be able to at this point in their careers.
Here’s who needs to go:
back to AAA – Tucker.
Waive or DFA – Kang if he’s not on fire by the ASG; Kingham, Brault, Holmes, Rodriguez (all pitchers.who have cost us several games.
Candidates to trade; Marte, Polanco, (I don’t want to lose another up & comer because the Pirates wait for these guys to shine consistently.). Cervelli, sorry.
Cervelli will be gone if anyone will pay him out this year.
They will not give up on Polanco,but Marte could be gone if they get a good pitcher in return.Dickerson will go though because this is his contract walk year.
Kang should get a chance to show if he still has it.
Tucker has been overmatched at the plate but has fielded well.
Brault is the best of this bunch but that is damning with faint praise.
Huntington should go back to AAA as it is inconceivable that he did not have reasonably good ML replacements for at least two of these pitchers.There were several available veterans who could have piched decently during this period of injuries.It is shameful that he hurt this team like he did.
Kingham,Brault,Feliz,Holmes,Rodriguez,and Hartlieb need to be gone. I have been to about six games this year, and they have had leads and continue to give games away.
I agree with Kingham,Rodriguez,and Hartlieb.
Brault has pitched better lately.If you recall,he was actually optioned earlier in the year,but an injury to another pitcher brought him immediately back.
Holmes is meh,and needs to pitch in AAA,but they may need him as a innings eater.
Feliz has pitched well in half the games which is more than I can say for the rest of them.He could be the last man until they find someone better.
I will say that this crop,although mediocre,really have not upheld their part of the bargain.They have en masse pitched poorly which has let down the rest of the team which has actually played fairly well.
I do not understand the “trade Marte” talk. At all.
Forget the part where the team went 1-9 when he was on the IL this year, no one in the organization can replace his defense or his base running.
Until Reynolds came up, they didn’t even have a back up. They just shoved JB Schuck or Adam Frazier out there. Trading Marte would then make Reynolds the only CF on the roster…and Reynolds is better in a corner OF spot anyway.
The obvious answer is to trade Corey Dickerson. Reynolds has eliminated any chance that Dickerson gets extended. Trade him for a RP or find a 3 way Dickerson for prospect for RP trade.
I agree that Dickerson is the one that should be moved but it’s not as if one cannot make a solid argument to move Marté. He’s maddeningly inconsistent, has one PED bust not too far in the rearview and seems to possess a very low baseball-IQ. He just does not seem to improve. Too often it’s the old “looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane.”
I would take Jane over Tarzan any day of the week,but I’m not talking baseball.
Glad someone still has sense on this forum. Frustrating though Marte can be, he’s a perennial ASG candidate and more valuable than what they likely get in a trade.
Get Dickerson playing some good baseball for a couple of weeks and then shop him, agreed. Listen on Melky, but not likely worth whatever return, unless they can get a stable RP.
Dickerson is a baseball player in the old sense. Marte is athletic, but he doesn’t, hasn’t, & never will be close to Dickerson’s grit & heart. Marte has never lived up to his lofty expectations, besides, with that billing, Marte would get a better return. We can survive without his .275 avg, 15 HR’s, & 75 RBI’s.
Marte is an enigma.I agree that he is very important regarding defense and steals.Hence,they should not look to trade him.He has also begun to hit in the three hole and perhaps now that he is out of Cutch’s shadow he will blossom.
That being said they could get good pitching for him if they get a center fielder in return.
If Reynolds is the real thing then Dickerson must go or they will have the same predicament that they had last year with Meadows.That is why they need to keep the Melkman as the fourth outfielder.
In Marte’s case it will be interesting to see how long they keep him if they feel as though he will go somewhere else in two years.
Did you forget that Osuna can also play 1st and 3rd and is not limited to the outfield? And Kang has been playing SS during rehab, so there is another person to man SS.
Osuna has learned to play other positions and that will help his career.
I am glad that Kang got to play shortstop.He may be needed at 2nd base too though.
Kang has never been a feasible MLB shortstop.
Stop trying to make Kang at short happen. It’s not going to happen.
I agree that he is not a major league shortstop.
I am not trying to make that happen.
It is clear,though,that Tucker is obverwhelmed by ML pitching and needs to play a year at AAA.
They do not have a backup for Newman until Gonzalez comes back.
Hence the need to use Kang in an emergency basis.
I really wanted Beckham this off-season , and now he’s available for trade.
Even tho we wouldn’t have to give up much, still would sting to part with anything for a guy who cost so little this off-season.
If Seattle would package a solid reliever tho it might be an ideal fix-all.
Don’t know anything about their pen tho
Seattle is willing to trade anyone and everyone.
Beckham seems to me though a guy who never really lived up to expectations.
They should give Newman a chance as he was hitting very well and hopefully can stay around where he is now.
Wade LeBlanc pitched very well last year but not so well this year.I always thought that he was a decent pitcher and someone who is much better than what they have now.