The Pittsburgh Pirates have recalled outfielder Ji Hwan Bae from Triple-A in their first move under new manager Don Kelly. Danny Demilio of Pittsburgh Baseball Now was the first to report on Bae’s presence at PNC Park for Friday’s game against the Atlanta Braves. In a corresponding move, infielder Enmanuel Valdéz has been placed on the 10-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation.
Ji Hwan Bae has a locker at PNC Park
— Danny Demilio (@Demilio22) May 9, 2025
Bae broke camp with the Pirates but was sent to Indianapolis on March 31 when they acquired Alexander Canario. During his brief stay with Pittsburgh, Bae was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and a baserunning blunder to his credit.
Pirates Begin Kelly Era by Recalling Bae
Pirates fans hoping that the dismissal of former manager Derek Shelton would lead to more sweeping changes will be disappointed by this move. Among the targets of their ire are outfielder Tommy Pham and infielder Jared Triolo. However, both are in Kelly’s first starting lineup for Friday’s game. The left-handed hitting Bae is not. In addition to the outfield, Bae also plays in the middle infield, where the Pirates already have plenty of options.
At Indianapolis, Bae was hitting .258/.343/.376, 1 HR, and 6 RBI while stealing six bases in eight attempts. Besides his often highlight-reel defense in center field, what has intrigued the Pirates most about Bae has been his on-base skills and base-stealing speed. However, Bae has enticed the Pirates brass with similar minor league performances before, only to have those skills vanish at the major league level. It will be interesting to see whether he responds to Kelly and flashes those skills with the big club.
General manager Ben Cherington is looking for anybody to help jump-start a flailing offense that enters the Kelly Era with a team slash line of .219/.300/.325. Whether Bae will be given a regular role to provide that spark remains to be seen.
Valdéz to the IL
Valdéz has been bothered by a jammed shoulder. During an at-bat on Wednesday in St. Louis, he reacted as though the shoulder was aggravated after swinging the bat. He remained in the game despite being bothered by the ailment. Valdéz had often hit in the cleanup spot under Shelton despite hitting just .209/.294/.363, 2 HR, and 12 RBI. He’s been in a slump lately, with only nine hits in his last 48 at-bats. Time on the IL may give him a chance to gain his swing back. Alex Stumpf of MLB.com was the first to report this tidbit.
We have recalled INF/OF Ji Hwan Bae from Triple-A Indianapolis and placed INF Enmanuel Valdez on the 10-day injured list.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@pirates.com) May 9, 2025 at 5:01 PM
It opens an opportunity for rookie Matt Gorski, who’s in Friday’s lineup at first base in a rare start against a right-handed pitcher. Gorski was hitting well at Indianapolis (.300/.325/.529, 3 HR, 14 RBI) when he was selected on April 24. In his debut, he homered in his first major league plate appearance, becoming the first Pirate since Starling Marte to do so. With the Pirates, he’s 4-for-19 with that homer and a triple.
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