Alex Presley and Chase d’Arnaud are both expected to rejoin the Pirates today. Apparently, they’ve both been ready for a day or two, but the ridiculous roster restraints caused by sending two starting pitchers to the disabled list and a double-header has kept them waiting a bit longer than expected.
With Presley coming back and Ryan Ludwick going on the disabled list yesterday, the outfield situation for the Pirates shapes up nicely. The Pirates need to have Presley and Tabata both on the field and in the lineup just about every day and with Ryan Ludwick not showing a ton (he’s getting on base at a nice clip, but it looks like his power is gone), the only thing he can really do in the lineup is serve to take playing time away from younger guys that are more important to the Pirates’ future. I also think the Pirates have a bit of a decision to make with Presley this winter given that they’ve committed to Tabata, Starling Marte isn’t all that far from Pittsburgh, and it’s good for teams to occasionally employ corner outfielders who excel at hitting home runs. Presley, despite his hot streak with the Pirates in July, is a bit of a question mark and the more he plays, the less of a riddle he becomes.
d’Arnaud is probably a little tougher to slot in, but I’d like to see him play shortstop a little more regularly to evaluate his glove down the stretch here. The Pirates will almost certainly pick up Ronny Cedeno’s $3 million option for 2012, but he’s not a long-term answer at short and the Pirates need to know if they have anyone that might be.
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