Pirates first baseman Rowdy Tellez went 0-for-5 last night against Milwaukee, with one strikeout.
He’s now batting .178 with one home run this season. His OBP is .486
Asked on Monday why Tellez is playing over Connor Joe, Manager Derek Shelton said its because he needs the reps at bat.
Asked during his weekly show on 93.7 The Fan Shelton was asked if it’s his decision to put Tellez in the lineup or if it’s coming from higher up in the organization.
“The lineup is my decision every night,” said Shelton. “We need a full lineup to go and Rowdy’s working, he’s working hard and we got to get him the reps to put him in a position where he gets going because this is a guy that’s hit 30-plus homers in the Big Leagues and that we felt was going to be a big part of our offense.”
Shelton was also asked how long they are going to keep putting Tellez in the lineup before it becomes a failed experiment.
He said there is no timetable for Tellez, but he is not in the lineup for Tuesday night’s game two against the Brewers.
“Joe Ross is pitching, Joe Ross is a reverse guy,” said Shelton, adding that Joe will be a first base, “because of the matchup.”