The Pittsburgh Pirates released outfielder Daniel Nava on Tuesday. He was signed by the Pirates to a minor league deal on February 9th and received an invite to Spring Training. Before he could play a Spring Training game, Nava required back surgery.
On February 28th, Pirates’ Director of Sports Medicine Todd Tomczyk said that Nava would be sidelined for 10-12 weeks after undergoing surgery. At the time, he already had a tough chance to make the Opening Day roster with the Pirates acquiring outfielders Corey Dickerson and Bryce Brentz.
The Pirates already had a crowded situation in the outfield at Triple-A, with some infielders like Chris Bostick and Eric Wood looking like they will be forced to play some outfield to get playing time. With Nava out for at least two months, he would have had a tough time breaking into the Major League outfield at some point this season.