PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – The two players the Pirates have signed long-term are now also both on the injured list together, with similar injuries. Ke’Bryan Hayes dealing with back issues and lands on the 10-day IL with low back inflammation (joining Bryan Reynolds) retroactive to June 25.
“I think this has been going into the last road trip,” said Pirates manager Derek Shelton on Wednesday. “We gave him the last day off in Miami. It had been bothering him and he had been stiff and it just hadn’t gotten better. It got to the point where we had to give it a little bit of a rest. He did some hitting yesterday and it just didn’t respond to it. We decided this morning it was the best case.”
Hayes had been inconsistent on offense for most of the season, but might be the best defensive third baseman currently in the game. They will shut him down for a couple of days until that back loosens up and then wait to see how it responds, so no feeling for when he might return.
Jared Triolo takes his roster spot, yet another in what has been a seemingly daily call up of a AAA prospect. The 25-year-old is also known for his defense, but hitting .293 with a .403 on-base percentage with the Indians this year. He will primarily play at third base, but has the ability to move around.
“He broke his hamate early in the year and he’s battled back from that,” Shelton said. “Offensively he’s been swinging the bat well over the last couple of weeks. Defensively, number one he’s a really good defender at a lot of positions, which is really important. He’s a guy that’s a natural third baseman, has played short, has played second, has moved into the outfield. He done all of them without any noticeable transition.”
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“When you have a guy that’s that versatile defensively and then really good at a primary position where we have a guy that’s really good that went down. It’s nice to have that.”
A right-handed hitter, the 6’3”, 210-pounder had hit .315 in June with his lone home run with five doubles, three triples and 11 RBI. He’s also stolen eight bases.
“Just kinda getting more settled in after my injury at the beginning of the season,” Triolo said. “Just feeling more comfortable and getting confidence back in the box. Feeling for the swing again. My hand is pretty important in my swing. Getting that confidence back has been big for me.”
A competitive balance pick in 2019, Triolo hit .304 with 29 doubles, 15 home runs, 78 RBI and 25 stolen bases at High-A Greensboro in 2021. He found out after a call from the AAA manager at 1:30 Wednesday morning. He then drove from Indianapolis starting at 8:30 and arrived in Pittsburgh around 2p.
“There was definitely a period where no music was being played,” Triolo said of the journey through the smoke and haze of the Canadian wildfires. “The thoughts were going wild. All just exciting stuff. Just really excited.”
In the last 10 days the Pirates have called up Carmen Mlodzinski, Ryan Borucki, Henry Davis, Cal Mitchell (then sent back), Cody Bolton, Nick Gonzales and now Triolo.