The Pittsburgh Pirates purchased the contract of Nick Yorke from Triple-A Indianapolis ahead of Monday’s game, with Yorke making his debut on Monday night. Alika Williams was sent down to make room on the active roster for Yorke.
Yorke was acquired at the trade deadline from the Red Sox for Quinn Priester. He made an adjustment to his swing with the Red Sox in Double-A, which led to a .310/.408/.490 line with six homers in 145 Triple-A at-bats before the trade. After the deal, Yorke hit .355/.431/.507 with two homers and 17 doubles with Indianapolis.
Drafted out of high school in the first round in 2020, Yorke would have been Rule 5 eligible this offseason, and thus would have needed to be added to the 40-man roster. This call-up takes care of that, while giving him a few weeks of experience at the big league level to take into the offseason.
The 2025 outlook for Yorke is that he could factor into the second base mix with Nick Gonzales, while also having the capability to play shortstop and center field. Yorke could be a super utility player, but long-term he’s got the upside of a starter in the big leagues at second base.
Yorke is the second prospect the Pirates acquired at the deadline who has been called up this month. They also added Billy Cook from the Baltimore Orioles at the deadline. After being called up about a week ago, Cook is 3-for-20 so far in his debut. He hit .276/.389/.486 with Indianapolis after the trade. Cook finished his minor league season with 17 homers and 25 stolen bases, with most of that coming in Triple-A.
The 2025 outlook for Cook is a super utility player who can factor in at first base, or all three outfield spots. He’s got power and speed potential, and the potential for average defense all over the field. He seems more likely than Yorke to make the Majors on Opening Day as a bench player, while Yorke seems more likely to be a starter in the long-term.
