The Pittsburgh Pirates are rolling into their Aug. 15 matchup with the Boston Red Sox at PNC Park with a reshuffled outfield and a few more lineup tweaks around the diamond.
Bryan Reynolds moves into the designated hitter role, while Esmerlyn Valdez slides into left field in his place. Ronny Simon, who handled DH duties in the Pirates’ 8-4 win over Boston in the series opener on Aug. 14, shifts to right field. Jake Mangum remains in center, making him the only outfielder staying in the same spot from the last game.
That alignment comes with Oneil Cruz still out of the mix. The Pirates are waiting on their center fielder’s return while he continues a rehab assignment with Double-A Altoona. Cruz hasn’t played for Pittsburgh since June 7, when he fractured his left hand, and the club has been working through the process of getting him back to where he can face and hit major league pitching again.
Mangum has filled in well in center during Cruz’s absence, hitting .300/.349/.414 with an OPS of .762. Valdez has also carved out a role, and the rookie has earned his time with strong defense and real production at the plate. He’s batting .250/.366/.557 with an OPS of .923 and has 14 home runs on the year.
The power has gone quiet a bit lately, though. Valdez hasn’t homered since July 26, when he went deep in an 8-7 win over the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park, and he’s in a rough patch with five hits in his last 15 at-bats. Pittsburgh is hoping that turns soon.
Reynolds, meanwhile, has been a regular at both left field and DH as he tries to play all 162 games, but the second half has been a grind. Since the All-Star break, he’s slashing .200/.282/.295 with an OPS of .577, a steep drop from his .877 OPS in the first half.
The Pirates also have Billy Cook available off the bench, where he can be used as a defensive replacement or a pinch-runner. Simon remains in the mix too, thanks to his ability to handle either corner-outfield spot, his speed, and the added value of being a switch-hitter.
There are a few more changes in the infield and behind the plate. Nick Gonzales is not starting after being hit by a pitch in the last game, though he is not considered injured and should be available off the bench. Jared Triolo shifts from shortstop to third base and moves down to ninth in the order, while Jacob Gonzales enters at shortstop and hits sixth.
At catcher, Rafael Flores Jr. takes over for Henry Davis and drops to ninth in the lineup. Flores has been swinging a hot bat, homering three times in his past two games and adding an RBI single in the win over Boston on Aug. 14.
Spencer Horwitz is also back at the top of the order, batting leadoff for the second time in three games after sitting out the previous game.
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