I received word from two different sources that Gregory Polanco will be getting the call to Pittsburgh on Thursday, and will be activated for Friday’s game. He is still in Indianapolis, and is expected to leave tomorrow for Pittsburgh.
Polanco has been destroying Triple-A pitching, and the only reason he is down is due to Super Two status. If he is called up on Friday, and remains in the majors the rest of the year, he will end the season with 115 days of service time. The projected cutoff at the end of this year is two years and 128 days. That cutoff has never been lower than two years and 122 days, which occurred after the 2013 and 2010 seasons.
With Polanco expected to join the team, that could signal the end for either Travis Snider or Jose Tabata. Both are in the starting lineup tonight against the Padres, but the Pirates would only have room for one of them with Polanco in the majors.
Calling Polanco up on Friday means that he will be activated in time for a big series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Currently the Pirates sit 6.5 games back from the Brewers in the NL Central race. They are closer in the Wild Card race, sitting two games back.
Polanco currently has a .351/.410/.547 line in 225 at-bats, with six home runs. He hasn’t struck out in his last seven games, spanning 28 at-bats. His performance this year has improved his prospect status, to the point where he is now considered one of the top three prospects in the game. In the last week, he has moved to the leadoff spot with Indianapolis, going 7-for-18 with a double and three stolen bases. He is expected to bat leadoff when he joins the Pirates.
UPDATE: Pirates officials are denying that Polanco is coming up on Friday. Meanwhile, several other trusted reporters are saying Polanco will be up:
Sources: Polanco heading to Pittsburgh tomorrow and expected to join #Pirates on Friday.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) June 4, 2014
Source confirms @timwilliamsP2 report: #Pirates bringing up Polanco. Will join team on Friday.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) June 4, 2014
Our sources also confirm @timwilliamsP2, report, that Polanco is indeed Pittsburgh bound. Tim will join us on postgame show tonight.
— Dan Zangrilli (@DanZangrilli) June 4, 2014
And now we wait for Friday.
