Buccos Cove

The Pittsburgh Pirates welcomed back Phillip Evans off of the injured list last night, but to do so they had to DFA pinch-hitting success Wilmer Difo. While the departure was a little bit surprising, it also offered some more clarity on the roles of Pirates bench players this season. Every year there are some surprises on a Major League roster who you weren't really expecting much from. Some recent examples include the emergence of guys like Evan Meek in the late 2000s, Josh Harrison in the playoff years, and most recently a guy named Phillip Evans who came into his own in 2020 before promptly having his session ended by Gregory Polanco's elbow. In 2022, the early season surprise was a guy named Wilmer Difo, who the Pirates signed as a Minor League Free Agent this off-season. Not much was expected of Difo, but he took advantage of his opportunity when he got the call. He became one of the best pinch hitters on the Pirates, hitting .296 with a home run and three RBI ...

Over the last month and a half, the Pittsburgh Pirates have seen several key players hit the injured list. Those players are making their way back, and with Ke'Bryan Hayes coming off Thursday, there are several roster moves waiting to be made. Coming into the 2021 season, one of the biggest things to watch on this Pirates team was the emergence of rookie third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes. With this in mind, fans were pretty disappointed when the young third baseman went down on April 2nd with a wrist strain that has kept him out two months of the season. There was hope he would be back in the beginning of May, but a setback pushed him to the 60-day IL, making him ineligible to return to the lineup until June 3rd. Hayes has played in just two games, five at-bats, this season and is hitting .200 with one home run and two RBI. The Pirates have been missing his bat in the top third of the lineup and desperately need a spark for their light-hitting offense. Well, the next tim...

Yesterday, Ka'ai Tom came off the 10-day IL as the 27th man in the Pirates doubleheader against the Colorado Rockies and went 1-3 with a home run. As he returns to the roster, it will likely be a battle between Tom and Gamel for playing time in left field. The Pittsburgh Pirates have many players on the Injured List who are currently working their way back into the lineup. The first of those players made their return on Sunday as Ka'ai Tom came off the 10-day Injured List as the Pirates 27th man in the doubleheader against the Colorado Rockies. Tom got the start in left field in game two, and ended up contributing, going 1-3 with a home run on 27th birthday, in a 4-0 win that less to a sweep of the doubleheader. Tom's overall average isn't that impressive, at .169, but he has done some good work during his time in a Pirates uniform. However, with the Pirates, that average is slightly better at .209 with two home runs, eight RBI, and an on-base percentage of ...

While guys like Adam Frazier, Bryan Reynolds, and Colin Moran have all had solid seasons, after them, there isn't much help. The bottom of the batting order has been a kryptonite for the Pirates as they look for someone to come through. When looking at some of the most successful teams across the MLB, they all have one factor in common. There really is no hole in their batting order and they pitch and okay defense very well. The Pittsburgh Pirates have been pitching well as of late, but it has been their offense that has ended up failing them. In their last five games, the team has combined to score just six runs and have combined to go just 1-7 in their last eight games. However, it isn't everyone in the Pirates lineup that is struggling, as guys like Colin Moran, Bryan Reynolds, and Adam Frazier have all had successful seasons. After them, things get a lot more difficult as six through nine hitters have failed to produce any type of offense on a consistent basis. ...

In a surprise move yesterday, the Pittsburgh Pirates placed outfielder Gregory Polanco on the injured list and recalled utility man Hunter Owen. The move put the Pirates another outfielder down and searching for questions at the position. If there is one position group with the biggest question mark on the 2021 Pittsburgh Pirates, it is their outfielders. Bryan Reynolds is back to his old self, but the other two positions have been a rotation of guys trying to find their way. Gregory Polanco has been out to his usual slow start, and the rotation of Dustin Fowler and Anthony Alford in centerfield ended up failing miserably as both players were DFA'd. The Pirates have tried moving Phillip Evans out to the outfield to keep his bat in the lineup, but ever since the move, both his offensive and defensive game have struggled mightily. The Pirates outfielders were dealt another blow yesterday when the Pirates announced that Gregory Polanco was heading to the IL with an undiscl...

After the Pittsburgh Pirates claimed outfielder Ka'ai Tom off waivers from the Oakland Athletics, he made his first career Pirate start yesterday. He showed great patience in his debut, drawing three walks and getting on base to use his speed. The Pittsburgh Pirates' 2021 outfield situation has been a bit up in the air so far. The season started with Anthony Alford and Dustin Fowler battling for the starting centerfielder job, with Bryan Reynolds in left and Gregory Polanco in right. However, both Fowler and Alford have been DFA'd, Reynolds has moved over to center, and there is still no permanent fix in left field. Phillip Evans tried and hasn't been great, and Erik Gonzalez and Wilmer Difo have each had their struggles out there. In an attempt to try and go in a new direction, the Pirates decided to bring someone in from outside of the organization. So, they made a waiver claim on outfielder Ka'ai Tom, who was a Rule 5 Draft Pick of the Oakland Athleti...

In a flurry of roster moves announced before game one of yesterday's doubleheader with the Detroit Tigers, the Pittsburgh Pirates claimed outfielder Ka'ai Tom off waivers. The former Cleveland Indians farmhand adds to the Pirate's outfield depth as he looks to continue to develop in the outfield. After a rainout on Tuesday night, Wednesday was a busy day for the Pittsburgh Pirates both on and off the field. Not only did they play two seven-inning games, but they also made several roster moves before the games even began. One of those moves that might have got pushed to the wayside is the Pirates claiming outfielder Ka'ai Tom off waivers from the Oakland Athletics. The Athletics drafted Tom in this year's Rule 5 Draft, but he saw little success in his first appearance in the Major Leagues. Now that he is a member of the Pirates, his Rule 5 Draft designation stays and he can't be sent down to the Minor Leagues unless a deal is worked out with his forme...