Yoshi Tsutsugo's time with the Pirates has come to a close.
According to a source, the Pirates have designated the first baseman/designated hitter for assignment. This move comes one day after the trade deadline, an unofficial starting date for the organization to start some roster overhaul to give young players more major-league opportunities.
"Sitting back and looking at what we thought was best moving forward, it was the right time," Derek Shelton said.
Tucupita Marcano will be taking Tsutsugo's spot on the major-league roster. He was hitting .362 in 14 games with Class AAA Indinapaolis.
"Marcano has been swinging the bat," Shelton said. "He's been doing really well. He has the ability to play all over the field. We've played him in different spots in Indy. We'll play him in different spots here, get him some opportunities. He's going to play left field today. Get him some opportunities, get him some at-bats."
Tsutsugo was the Pirates' big offensive signing this past offseason, inking a one-year, $4 million deal to be their first baseman. After being let go by the Rays and Dodgers last season, the Pirates signed him in August, where he homered eight times and posted an .883 OPS over 43 games.
An accomplished hitter in Japan, the Pirates hoped that he could be a staple in the middle of their order. Instead, he ended up having one of the worst offensive seasons for a first baseman in the live ball era, hitting .171 with a .229 slugging percentage, two home runs, 19 RBIs and 50 strikeouts over 193 games. According to Baseball Reference, he was worth -1.7 WAR.
Tsutsugo was placed on the injured list on May 26 and activated on July 5 with a back injury and said on his return that he was playing through discomfort for most of the season. The return did not go smoothly though, as he hit just .158 with a .358 OPS in July.
According to a source, the Pirates were interested in exploring multiyear options with him this offseason, but Tsutsugo wanted a one-year deal to bet on himself.
The Pirates' first base options at the major-league level are now Michael Chavis, Josh VanMeter and Bligh Madris. Of the three, Madris is the least experienced and is re-learning the position after playing exclusively outfield in his minor-league career up until this season.
