Bench shakeup summons Moroff, Gosselin from Indy taken at Highmark Stadium (Pirates)

Phil Gosselin batted .139 in 19 games with the Pirates earlier this season. - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS

Gift Ngoepe and Alen Hanson are not joining the Pirates for their three-game series against the Mets in New York, but two infielders from Indianapolis are.

Phil Gosselin and Max Moroff were recalled from Triple-A Thursday afternoon, the Indianapolis Indians announced. No corresponding roster move has been announced, but Ngoepe was seen saying goodbye to teammates at PNC Park Wednesday night and Hanson told reporters he would not be joining the team in New York.



Gosselin, a 28-year-old second baseman, batted .138 in 19 games with the Pirates until he was sent to Triple-A on May 8, and has had success at the plate since. He owned a .310/.337/.405 in 22 games with the Indians.

The Pirates acquired Gosselin in a trade with the Diamondbacks in the offseason with the hope he would provide a reliable bat off the bench, but he struggled both at the plate and in the field in April.

Moroff, a 16th-round draft choice of the Pirates in 2012, is having a breakout season with 13 home runs and driving in 36 runs. He made his major league debut last July and returned to the Pirates earlier this month, appearing in four games before he was optioned back to Indianapolis.

The switch-hitting second baseman has spent most of the past six weeks playing shortstop for the Indians, a move to prepare him for a role off the bench in the major leagues. It has not gone well at times, though. Moroff has committed 13 errors in 42 games, including nine at shortstop.

The additions provide more offense to a bench that has struggled with situational hitting this season. Ngoepe became the first African-born player to reach the major leagues when he made his debut on April 26.

He singled in his first career at-bat, then went 3-for-3 with a triple, two runs and an RBI in his second game, but has not provided much at the plate since. He has just 12 hits compared to 26 strikeouts in 54 at-bats for a .222 average.

His defense was valuable late in games, but the Pirates likely want him getting more consistent at-bats.

Hanson, meanwhile, has failed to transfer his potential into production and is out of minor league options, so the Pirates would have to designate him for assignment and he'd have to clear waivers to return to the organization.

The utilityman had just 11 hits in 59 at-bats while appearing at second base, third base, shortstop and right field.

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