Starling Marté is taking his first step to returning to the Pirates.
The organization announced Saturday night that Marté, who was suspended 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance on April 18, will begin his rehab assignment Sunday with High-A Bradenton.
Marté's first game action against the Florida Fire Frogs Sunday at 1 p.m., will be 76 days from Major League Baseball announcing he tested positive for nandrolone. He'll be eligible for reinstatement on Tuesday, July 18.
The Pirates' All-Star outfielder will not be eligible to play in the playoffs, but he will provide a jolt to an offense that continues to struggle, stranding 15 runners in a 2-1 loss to the Giants Saturday night at PNC Park.
He'll also provide sound outfield defense, whether in left field or center, where Andrew McCutchen is now batting .283 with a .984 fielding percentage.
Marté was batting .241 with two home runs and seven RBI at the time of the suspension, and the loss forced the Pirates to recall José Osuna from Triple-A Indianapolis. More important, it shifted Adam Frazier into the role of everyday left fielder, creating a substantial hole on the Pirates' bench.
Osuna is batting .254 with five home runs and 20 RBI, but the Pirates have turned to infielders Gift Ngoepe and Max Moroff as options off the bench. Neither has done much offensively when called upon. Ngoepe is currently on the disabled list with Indianapolis, and Moroff is now batting .097 in 31 at-bats.
Marté made his debut with the Pirates in 2012 and is a career .288 hitter with 60 home runs and 242 RBI. He's a two-time defending Gold Glove winner and was named an All-Star in 2016.