BRADENTON, Fla. -- The Pirates made their first formal batch of spring training cuts Tuesday, re-assigning four players to their minor-league camp.
Infielder Liover Peguero was optioned to minor-league camp since he is on the 40 man roster, while catcher Henry Davis, first baseman Malcom Nuñez, outfielders Matt Gorski and Lolo Sanchez, and right-handed pitchers Kyle Nicolas and Jared Jones were re-assigned to the other camp.
Peguero, the team's No. 7 prospect according to Baseball America, went 4-for-14 at the plate this spring with four RBIs and a stolen base, usually as a mid-game replacement.
This 2023 season is shaping up to be an important one for Peguero after an up and down season with Class AA Altoona last season where he hit .259 with a .692 OPS. He got a cup of coffee in the majors last season because of a COVID-19 scare on the roster, but it's safe to assume he could have more runway for a major-league opportunity if he plays well for Class AAA Indianapolis.
Nuñez will be joining him in Indianapolis. Acquired last season in the José Quintana trade, the big first baseman was re-assigned two days before his 22nd birthday. He went 1-for-8 in game action, but showed his pop at Pirate City in the early days of camp.
Davis, the first overall pick in the 2021 draft, went 4-for-11 with a home run this camp, but Derek Shelton said coming into camp he wasn't making the opening day team. Gorski, the organization's 2022 Willie Stargell slugger of the year, and Sanchez, the 2021 Omar Moreno baserunner of the year, also did not have any chance of making the opening day team, even if the latter homered in Tuesday's win over the Blue Jays.
Nicolas, 24, tossed three scoreless innings, allowing two walks while striking out two. Acquired in the Jacob Stallings trade in 2021, he should also be in Indianapolis at some point this season.
Jones, 21, tossed two scoreless innings this spring, including Monday night against the Yankees where he touched 99 mph with his fastball and 2,700 RPM of spin on his breaking pitches. He should advance to Altoona this year.
This year is going to be important for both Nicolas and Jones to determine if they are starters or relievers, given the number of starting prospects in the upper-half of the farm system.
The Pirates had previously re-assigned 2022 first-round pick Termarr Johnson to minor-league camp back in February, bringing the total number of players in big-league camp to 62.
