Former Pirates outfielder Jose Tabata is back in baseball, and he’s not playing that far away.
The 32-year-old, who hasn’t apparently played on a pro team since 2018, signed with the West Virginia Power in Charleston earlier this week and is on their opening day roster.
The Power open their season Friday night and Tabata is starting in left, batting sixth.
The Power was the Class A affiliate of the Pirates from 2009-2018.
Due to MLB reorganizing the minor league system after the 2020 season, the Power was dropped from affiliated baseball and is now a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball a “partner league’ of MLB.
Tabata debuted for the Pirates in 2010 and spent six seasons with the Bucs, posting a .275 batting average with 438 hits, 126 RBI and 17 home runs.
After his time with the Pirates, Tabata spent time in the Dodgers and Blue Jays systems but never made it back to the Major Leagues.
If you’re interested in seeing Tabata in a Power uniform, you can find tickets here.