The rehab assignments for outfielder Alex Presley and infielder Chase d’Arnaud have been moved from Bradenton to Indianapolis, the team announced today. That’s good news for the Pirates, as the downfall of the 2011 team came right around the time these two players went on the disabled list. It’s hard to say whether that’s a correlation or a causation, but the Pirates definitely had a spark at the top of their lineup with Presley and d’Arnaud that they haven’t had in the last few weeks.
Presley should rejoin the Pirates, and I’d argue that he should start over Ryan Ludwick, with Jose Tabata starting in right field, and Presley starting in left field. D’Arnaud might be better off being optioned to AAA until rosters expand in September, so that he can get every day playing time, rather than being used off the bench in Pittsburgh.