Within minutes during Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Indians on Sunday, the Pirates lost, and then gained an outfielder.
Starting left fielder Starling Marte left the game in the bottom of the fourth with discomfort in his side. He injured himself during a swing and, after consulting with athletic trainer Todd Tomczyk and manager Clint Hurdle, his day was finished prematurely. He was replaced in the lineup by Gregory Polanco.
Just moments later, during the top of the fifth inning, the Pirates announced that they had claimed 1B/OF Travis Ishikawa on waivers from the San Francisco Giants.
Ishikawa, 31, had begun the 2014 season with the Pirates, posting a .206 batting average in 34 at bats through 15 games. He was designated for assignment by the Pirates on April 19 and was granted free agency.
The 6-foot-3 left-handed hitter then caught on with the Giants, who had been his first MLB club. In 71 games with their Triple-A club in Fresno, California he hit .349 and earned himself a call up on July 29.
Ishikawa finished the season with San Francisco, appearing in 47 games while hitting .274 with 15 RBI. He started in left field for the Giants in their Wild Card win over the Pirates, going 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout.
He played in six World Series games for the Giants, going 3-for-13 and earned his second World Series ring. He had previously won as a member of the Giants in 2010.
The Pirates will need to make a corresponding move on the 25-man roster once Ishikawa reports. No further update on Marte’s condition was available at press time.
Stay with Pittsburgh Sporting News for more on these developing stories.
Photo credit: Charles Leclaire/USA Today
