Today the Pittsburgh Pirates optioned Alex Presley to the minors and recalled Evan Meek. The move puts the Pirates at eight relievers, which is surely due to the amount of work the bullpen has put in over the last few days. With interleague play coming up on Friday, it seems likely that the Pirates will send down an extra reliever and call up another bat. Unless there’s an injury, that bat can’t be Presley. So what options are there in Indianapolis?
40-Man Roster
Starling Marte – Everyone wants to see the top prospect up, but Marte isn’t ready. He’s currently hitting for a .261/.323/.437 line in 119 at-bats, with a 22.7% strikeout rate and a 5.3% walk rate. I’m only listing him here to say that right now Marte needs to stay down in Triple-A.
Jordy Mercer – He’s been a hot hitter lately, with a .339/.381/.407 line in 59 at-bats in May. If the Pirates are looking for someone to serve as a designated hitter, Mercer isn’t your typical power bat for the position. But you could argue that he’s ready for a shot at the majors. It would be ideal to give him a few more weeks in Triple-A, just to show that his recent success isn’t a fluke.
Matt Hague – Hague is also hitting well in May, after struggling in April. He’s not hitting for power though, which is a big change from how he started the year. Out of the 40-man options, Hague seems the most likely to get the call, since he earned his way to the majors once already this year.
Gorkys Hernandez – He’s a strong defensive outfielder with speed, but doesn’t have much of a bat. He’s more of a fourth outfielder, and it wouldn’t make sense to have him on the roster with Nate McLouth also on the roster.
Non-Roster Candidates
Jake Fox – He was crushing the ball up until about a week ago. Now he’s hitting for a .274/.343/.435 line in 62 at-bats. He’d be a good power option, as he’s shown some power in the majors before.
Jeff Clement – He’s also been hitting well, with a .287/.380/.415 line in 94 at-bats. Like Fox, he has shown some power in the majors, but not much else. I’d actually be surprised if he got the call, since he seems to be lower on the Indianapolis depth chart than Fox and Hague.
Jeff Larish – The Pirates recently added Larish in a minor trade. I don’t see him getting the call. He seems more like the guy who will stick around in Triple-A and take over for the guy who gets the call.
If the Pirates called up one of the non-roster guys (and my money would be on Fox from that group) they would have to clear a space on the 40-man roster. If they’re only calling up a guy for the weekend series against Detroit, it wouldn’t make sense to go that route. If they’re calling up a guy for the long haul to replace Presley, it might make sense to go with someone like Fox and see what he can do in the majors. Right now, his career .237/.288/.425 line would be an upgrade off the bench, adding a power bat to the team.
Purely a guess here, as the Pirates haven’t given any indication, but I’d put my money on Hague getting the call, with Fox being another candidate if they’re looking for more than a weekend option.
