Pirates recall outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba

Less than a week ago, relief pitcher Chase De Jong rejoined the Pirates from Triple-A Indianapolis after having been designated for assignment in early May.

But De Jong, who had been largely solid for the Pirates during their 100-loss 2022 campaign (6-3, 2.64 ERA), was unable to replicate his success this season, leading the Pirates to designate him for assignment once again Friday.

Leading into his May designation, De Jong posted a 10.61 ERA through five appearances, which was interrupted by a stint on the injured list in mid-April.

De Jong’s first outing with the Pirates post-call-up would prove to be his last, as he allowed six earned runs in two innings of work June 6 against Oakland, an 11-2 loss.

Taking the mound in the eighth inning with the Pirates trailing 5-2, De Jong was torched for five hits, three of which were home runs.

In a corresponding move, the Pirates recalled outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba from the Indians.

Smith-Njigba is batting .245 with seven home runs and 22 RBIs in Indianapolis this season.

The seven home runs represent a notable increase in power for Smith-Njigba, who in 52 games with the Indians last year, hit only one.

“I think going down to Triple-A, finding my groove, getting everyday at-bats, sparks what I can do in the lineup day in and day out,” Smith-Njigba said.

The 24-year-old switch hitter provides extra depth for the Pirates in right field.

“(Josh) Palacios has done a good job and Connor (Joe) has done a good job, so having the extra bat here allows us to maybe match up a little bit better and I think that’s how we’ll kind of use it,” manager Derek Shelton said.

He made his MLB debut with the Pirates last June, joining the club briefly for three games against St. Louis. With the Indians in 2022, he slashed .277/.387/.408.

Njigba made the Pirates’ Opening Day roster at the start of this year and appeared in 14 games with the team, struggling at the plate (.125 batting average) before being optioned back to Indianapolis at the end of April.

At the time, Shelton had mentioned a lack of steady Major-League at-bats as a primary reason for sending Smith-Njigba back to the Indians.

“It wasn’t really fair up here,” Shelton said. “He made the club out of spring training and very much deserved to and then it was inconsistent at-bats. What we felt when we sent him out, the message was, we need him to play every day. That’s what he was doing down there and he was just more consistent.”

With their moves Friday afternoon, the Pirates’ 40-man roster sits at 37.