Pirates send slumping Jack Suwinski to Triple-A Indianapolis
The Jack Suwinski story that includes more home runs than anyone on the Pittsburgh Pirates active roster is on pause.
The Pirates optioned Suwinski to Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday while he’s in the midst of an 0-for-29 slump that began with his last at-bat against the New York Yankees on July 5.
He is hitting .198 with 14 home runs (more than any National League rookie) and 25 RBIs. His .716 OPS is fourth-best among Pirates regulars who have recorded more than 25 at-bats. He is one of the Pirates’ top power threats, with one less home run than team leader Bryan Reynolds, who is not eligible to come off the injured list until July 21.
“Jack’s a guy we really like, and I think he’s a big part of what we’re doing here in Pittsburgh in the future,” manager Derek Shelton said on 93.7 The Fan before the game against the Colorado Rockies on Friday night at Coors Field.
“He was going through a little bit of a rough stretch. This is just a little refresh for him. He’s a guy I expect we would see up here in the future.”
Drafted in the 15th round in 2016 by the San Diego Padres, Suwinski, 23, never has played in Triple-A. He was traded to the Pirates last year in the Adam Frazier deal. He was promoted directly from Double-A Altoona on April 26 to help with a roster shortage when Reynolds and Cole Tucker went on the covid-19 injured list.
Immediately, he was thrust into the starting lineup in right field. Overall, he started 29 games in left field, many while Ben Gamel was on the injured list. Suwinski also started six in center field (when Reynolds and Jake Marisnick were out of the lineup) and 26 in right field (more than any of his teammates).
“He was probably here a little bit longer than all of us expected, just because he continued to perform,” Shelton said. “The league kind of started to make some adjustments against him and he was struggling a little bit to make those adjustments back.”
His 14 home runs before the All-Star break are third-most by a Pirates rookie. He is the first rookie in major-league history to hit three home runs in a game that included a walk-off (June 19 against the San Francisco Giants).
But he has struck out 76 times — also second to Reynolds — in 250 plate appearances.
Rookie outfielder Cal Mitchell will replace Suwinski on the Pirates roster in his second stint with the major-league team this season. In 26 games with the Pirates from May 24 to June 27, Mitchell hit .193 with an OPS of .553, two home runs and seven RBIs. He started in right field and batted seventh against the Rockies on Friday night.
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— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 15, 2022
After his return to Triple-A Indianapolis, he hit .375 with an OPS of .879 in 12 games for the Pirates’ top farm club. Overall in Indianapolis this season, he is hitting .326 with an OPS of .867, five homers and 35 RBIs.
The Pirates made several other personnel moves before Friday’s game:
• Catcher Tyler Heineman was reinstated from the Family Medical Emergency list, and catcher Michael Perez was sent to Indianapolis. Perez is batting .150 (16 for 107) with six home runs and 11 RBIs.
“The one thing we would like Mikey to focus on is to continue to control the (strike) zone and control his swings,” Shelton said. “We need him to be a little bit more consistent.”
• Left-handed pitcher Cam Alldred was added to the taxi squad, and Eric Stout, also a lefty, was returned to Triple-A.
Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
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