The Pirates announced that they have selected the contract of infielder Davis Wendzel from Triple-A Indianapolis. Outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia is being optioned in Wendzel’s place. To clear space on the 40-man roster, reliever Chris Devenski is being transferred to the 60-day injured list.
Wendzel signed a minor league contract with Pittsburgh in December and was a non-roster invite to spring training. In 211 plate appearances at Triple-A this year, he’s batting .246/.360/.491 with nine home runs and a 123 wRC+. That continues a run of decent minor league hitting for Wendzel, as he’s been average or better at Triple-A since 2024. Wendzel’s track record in the Majors is much thinner. He appeared in 27 games for the Rangers in 2024, managing just six hits in 49 plate appearances.
Wendzel typically plays third base or shortstop, though he’s unlikely to get much time at the hot corner. Nick Gonzales has a 115 wRC+ in 238 plate appearances as the Pirates’ main third baseman. Wendzel is more likely to see time at shortstop, if only a little. Jared Triolo is covering for the injured Konnor Griffin at the moment. Triolo has a 57 wRC+ this year that is virtually unplayable, and while he’s a good defender at second and third, he’s been worth -6 Defensive Runs Saved in 588 2/3 career innings at short. At the same time, Wendzel is entirely unproven in the Majors, so his selection is more about giving the Pirates a second backup infielder (Tyler Callihan being more of a utility type) than seriously challenging for playing time.
Devenski’s move to the 60-day IL clears a roster spot for Wendzel and puts Devenski out until early July. The right-hander went on the 15-day IL on May 7th after serving a two-game suspension for intentionally throwing at the Reds’ Sal Stewart a few days earlier. Devenski’s injury was undisclosed at the time, and that remains the case one month later. His transfer to the 60-day IL is backdated to the original placement, so Devenski can return during the July 7-9 home series against the Braves if he is ready.
As for Garcia, he heads down to Triple-A after a roughly three-week stint in the Majors. The 23-year-old got into 13 games since being recalled on May 19th. He batted .200/.243/.229 in 37 plate appearances, which amounts to just a 32 wRC+. Garcia hasn’t played much in the minors this year thanks to a back injury in mid-April, which sidelined him for a month. Still, Garcia is a former Top-100 prospect and ranks No. 4 in the Pirates’ Top-30, according to MLB.com. He’ll get regular work at Triple-A for the time being and will surely get called up again at some point.
Photo courtesy of Reggie Hildred, Imagn Images
Thank God i don’t have to watch this guy on my team anymore
Jesus, do you guys even like baseball? Some of you make it seem like following this sport is just torture.
Reds fans: “First time?”
Must be bad news for Lowe
He seems to be working out on the field today and doing some light exercise so doesn’t seem to be too bad.
I think it’s more that with both Griffin and Lowe down now, they need more infield help than outfield help. O’Hearn is able to be back in RF now so they have four outfielders and Callihan can play 3B, 2B, and OF so Wendezel gives them a bit more infield versatility. I’m a little surprised they didn’t bring Simon up instead but Wendzel has been one of the better hitters on the AAA team.
SBW-Simon deserves it but they may not have wanted to expose him to waivers again as this is a short temporary assignment to someone who they can easily dfa unless something unexpected happens.
very good point. hadn’t thought about that.
Why does MLBTR always have to bring up that a rookie player has little to no prior experience in the Majors? That’s the nature of being a rookie. Every All Star was once in the same position. It is not a reason to NOT give them playing time. That’s especially true when the guy playing with experience “is virtually unplayable.”. When the current guy sucks, there is nothing to lose.
Saw Wendzel’s first major league hit back in ’24; glad to see he made his way back into the show