The Pirates have added some help for their injury-depleted outfield.
Jason Martin was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis in time for Friday night’s game against the Reds at PNC Park. The 23-year-old has yet to play in the major leagues.
Meanwhile, Kyle Crick was placed on the 10-day injured list with right triceps tightness. Clint Hurdle provided no timetable for when the reliever might return. The move is retroactive to Thursday.
“It got to the point now where it doesn’t make any sense for him to still be on the active roster,” Hurdle said.
Martin went 7-for-23 (.304) with two triples and two home runs in spring training exhibition games. He has batted .270/.343/.443 with 63 home runs and 85 stolen bases in six minor-league seasons.
The Pirates acquired Martin as part of a four-player package from the Astros in the trade for Gerrit Cole in January 2018.
Martin was called up a day after Corey Dickerson was placed on the IL with a strained right shoulder. Martin was held out of Indianapolis’ lineup Thursday night for its opener in advance of his call-up.
“You never know if they’re ready until you call them up,” Hurdle said. “What we like is the overall improvement he has shown since we acquired him. We like the presence in the box and the more consistency he has shown in his at-bats. His fielding and throwing are improving, and he has usable speed.”
Dickerson is one of four Pirates outfielders on the injured list with Gregory Polanco, Lonnie Chisenhall and Jose Osuna.
Backup corner infielder Colin Moran is slated to make his first major-league start in the outfield tonight, playing in left field. He last appeared in the outfield in 2017 while playing at Triple-A in the Astros’ organization.
Moran just started taking fly balls Thursday during batting practice, but Hurdle did not hesitate to put him in. Hurdle said he wanted to get Moran's left-handed bat in the lineup against Reds right-hander Sonny Gray.
“If anything wrong happens, that’s on me,” Hurdle said. “He’s willing to go out there. It’s not as easy as some people might think it is. There is a lot of ground to cover out there. I told him to ‘catch what you can catch because there’s no such thing as a bad catch.’”
Moran was looking forward to the challenge.
“I’ll play wherever they want if it gets me in the lineup and gives me an opportunity to help the team win,” he said.
The move with Crick came as a bit of a surprise. He has not allowed a baserunner in his two appearances this season and pitched a perfect inning Wednesday night against the Cardinals.