The Pittsburgh Pirates plan to shake up the roster after Wednesday’s loss. Alan Saunders reports that Gift Ngoepe will be heading to Indianapolis, and Alan Hanson won’t be traveling with the team to New York, per both players. No reason is given on Hanson, although it sounds like the Pirates are moving on. Neither player has been hitting well this season, with Hanson struggling in a very limited bench role and Ngoepe posting a high strikeout rate.
The Pirates won’t need to make another roster move until prior to Friday’s game. I’ll note that our own Brian Peloza reported that Max Moroff was a late scratch from the Indianapolis lineup, so he is likely going to fill one of the two spots.
Hanson is hitting .193/.220/.263 in 37 games, getting just 57 at-bats all season. If he does go on waivers, it’s unlikely that he would clear, but I’m sure the Pirates would like to see him clear so he could get regular at-bats in Indianapolis and try to regain some value. If a team picks him up, they will need to keep him in the majors, so that could work in the favor of the Pirates. Ngoepe hit .222/.323/.296, with most of his damage coming during his first two games. He has 26 strikeouts in 54 at-bats.
UPDATE: 10:23 PM: Our own Brian Peloza in Indianapolis confirms that Max Moroff and Phil Gosselin will be rejoining the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday in New York.
Max Moroff and Phil Gosselin are going back up to the #Pirates @pirateprospects
— Brian Peloza (@BrianPeloza) June 1, 2017
