The Pirates have claimed infielder/outfielder Michael Helman off waivers from the Cardinals, according to announcements from both clubs. There was no previous indication that the Cards had removed Helman from their 40-man roster, so their count drops to 39. The Bucs opened a 40-man spot by transferring infielder Enmanuel Valdéz to the 60-day injured list.
Helman, 29 this month, has a tiny amount of big league experience. He got 10 plate appearances with the Twins last year, collecting three hits while also striking out three times. He was traded to the Cardinals in February for cash.
His 2025 season is out to a rough start. In 73 Triple-A plate appearances, he has a .185/.260/.292 batting line and 50 wRC+, indicating he’s been 50% worse than league average. Perhaps the Cardinals felt that those poor numbers would help Helman sneak through waivers, so they quietly put him on the wire.
However, the Bucs have swooped in and grabbed him, presumably overlooking his 2025 numbers and focusing on his other seasons. Over 2023 and 2024, Helman took 480 minor league plate appearances, hitting 21 home runs and slashing .282/.356/.507 for a 121 wRC+. He still has a full slate of options, so the Pirates can keep him in the minors and see if he bounces back. If he does, he could be a versatile utility piece. He has played every position outside the battery in his minor league career.
As for Valdéz, he landed on the 10-day IL a few days ago due to left shoulder inflammation. His status is unclear but the fact that he has been quickly moved to the 60-day IL doesn’t bode well. He’s now ineligible to return until July.
Photo courtesy of Reinhold Matay, Imagn Images
A career .300 hitter at the major league level.
Doubles machine. Two out of every careeer three hits is a Double for this guy.
Trade for Coby Mayo.
Trade for Samuel Basallo
for Mitch Keller
throw in Heaney for Heston
Yes! Trade for Mayo. Need one more besides him. Reynolds terrible right now. What would Reynolds and 2 mlb ready pitchers bring?
Trade for the dead shoeless Joe and Pete rose. They couldn’t do any worse
A++
Nowhere close to being a Canario tier prospect but close to Cook who cost the Pirates a really good interested arm Reilly.
I like Helman’s chances as much as Yorke. Probably more than Cook and much more than Gorski. Not as good defensively as Peguero Cheng Triolo but could be better hitter. Valdez better hitter than all of them but not much of a defender.
Let’s see if this latest dumpster diving effort by the cheapest and most incompetent franchise in baseball will help this lackluster offense any.
How am I not surprised by this claim?
why do you think this? Helman is 29 years old. It is almost time for him to switch to coaching.