Pirates outfield prospect Travis Swaggerty is expected to be promoted from Class AAA Indianapolis to the major-league roster prior to Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks, per a source. He is expected to arrive in time for a 1:35 p.m. first pitch at PNC Park.
Swaggerty, 24, was the 10th overall selection by the Pirates in the 2018 MLB Draft, and is the club's No. 13 prospect on MLB.com. In 35 games this season at Indianapolis, Swaggerty has slashed .280/.362/.439 with four home runs and 22 RBIs.
In the corresponding move, Rodolfo Castro, who's struggled with fundamentals, will be optioned back.
When Ben Cherington spoke Friday about what the club looks for before promoting players to the big-league roster, here's what he had to say:
"Some of it is performance," Cherington explained. "Is there a specific thing that the player is working on at the time that we think a little bit more time in Triple-A will help? Some of it is roster consideration. There's always more than one factor."
Now, Cherington was specifically addressing Mason Martin and some of the things he needs to work on before he is considered for a promotion to Pittsburgh. Just over 24 hours later, Swaggerty is getting the call. Taking Cherington's words into consideration, the club must believe that Swaggerty is ready for the next step.
