The Pittsburgh Pirates have recalled infielder Jared Triolo from Triple-A Indianapolis. He is taking the place of third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, who was placed on the 10-day Injured List due to back soreness. The move was made retroactive to June 25th.
Triolo started his 2023 season on the Injured List due to hamate surgery on his left wrist. After a brief rehab stint with Low-A Bradenton during the first week of May, he joined Indianapolis on May 9th. In 37 games for the Indians, he batted .293/.403/.436 over 159 plate appearances.
The 25-year-old Triolo had a .795 OPS over 112 games for Altoona last year, before a knee injury ended his season early. He was added to the 40-man roster over this past off-season. Triolo is a very athletic player, with similarities to Hayes, in that the defense is strong, there’s some speed to his game and both have about the same type of power potential.
Triolo has mostly played third base in his minor league career. He won the Rawlings Gold Glove award at the position in 2021. The minor league side only hands out one award per position for the entire minor league system.
He has played some shortstop during all four of his minor league seasons, totaling 54 starts. He has also taken turns in center field, second base and first base, though third base still represents 80% of his minor league time.
Hayes is hitting .254/.290/.397 through 74 games this year. He’s been worth 1.4 WAR this season, with 1.2 dWAR to his credit.
It sounds like Hayes is expected to miss the minimal amount of time, with the Pirates initially hoping to avoid a trip to the Injured List.
Minor Moves
First baseman Ji-Man Choi has had his rehab assignment moved from Altoona to Indianapolis today.
He suffered an ankle/achilles injury in mid-April that landed him on the 60-day Injured List. Choi hit .125/.125/.344 in nine games this season before the injury, connecting on two solo homers for his only RBIs. He had zero walks and 15 strikeouts in 32 plate appearances.
His rehab with Altoona last week saw him go 2-for-8 with a double and a walk in three games. He was being eased back into action, with days off between games and partial games played. His rehab will ramp up with Indianapolis this week.
Left-handed pitcher Rob Zastryzny has been assigned to Indianapolis on rehab. He has been out for the last 12 days with left forearm inflammation. It was his second trip to the IL this year.
He has a 5.29 ERA in 18 appearances for the Pirates, with a .294 BAA, a 1.94 WHIP and 13 strikeouts in 17 innings.
