Notes: 50-50 Week; Ji Man, Hill Swapped For Prospects; Hedges Sold - Henry Time?; Rudy Gone; Other Moves; Buc, Minors, MLB News

August arrived and it's the kids' turn, with the focus on '24...

Notes:

• The Bucs hosted Motown to start the week. Behind Johan Oviedo's strong seven innings and Liover Peguero's two-run homer, the Bucs took game #1 by a 4-1 tally. They made the next game exciting, but left the bases loaded in the ninth (the last out was a blown 3-2 strike call w/the bases jammed...) to split the two-game set by a 6-3 count. Then it was off to Milwaukee, where the Bucs were bombed in the opener as Mitch Keller continued his second half slide. The Pirates used four homers and a couple of escaped jams to take the second game, 8-4. Then they blew a ninth-inning lead to lose, 3-2, in 10 frames, but earned a split in the finale, 4-1, behind Johan Oviedo and three more dingers.
• 1B Ji Man Choi (.205/6/11) and LHP Rich Hill (7-10/4.76) were shipped to the San Diego Padres for prospects LHP Jackson Wolf, 1B/OF Alfonso Rivas and OF Estuar Suero in a deadline deal. Choi joined via trade and Hill as a free agent during the off season. Wolf, 24, was a AA starter (8-9/4.08) with one MLB outing under his belt. He was a 4th round pick in 2021 after tossing for WVU. Rivas, 26, is a good-glove guy with not much power who the Cubs released in the off season. He batted .245 in 310 ABs w/Chicago and the Friars since 2021 with a .313 career BA in AAA ball. 17-year-old switch hitter Suero was a touted lotto ticket playing in the Rookie League. Later in the day, Pittsburgh sent C Austin Hedges to Texas for international bonus pool space.

Alfonso Rivas joins the club - 2023 photo/Pirates

• In a final swap, Pittsburgh traded IF Rodolfo Castro to the Philadelphia Phillies for LHP Bailey Falter. Rudy hit .226 with 22 homers in 180 MLB games while Falter, a starter, is 8-12/4.56 in 24 Philly starts (50 outings) in three years, and 0-7/5.13 this season. As collateral damage, ex-Bucco Josh Harrison was waived and released to clear space for Castro.
• After the moves, the Pirates activated 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes (back) from the IL, recalled C Jason Delay and called up Indy utility guy Vinny Capra (here via trade with Toronto in April), who played a game and was optioned back down when Falter was rostered. Delay's recall makes Henry Davis catching opportunity a little hazy. 2B Nick Gonzales was returned to Indy after Rivas was activated on Thursday. Wolf was assigned to the Curve and Falter went on the taxi squad, then joined the active roster Saturday as the starter. On Friday, RHP Andre Jackson was called up as RHP Dauri Moreta went on the 15-day IL. Jackson has 15 MLB outings as a Dodger from 2021-23 (0-1-4/4.15) and had a 3.38 ERA at Indy in 10 IP w/6 walks & 13 whiffs. Then the Pirates claimed RHP Thomas Hatch off waivers from Toronto on Sunday. The reliever was 3-3/5.40 in three seasons (27 appearances) with the Jays.
• Bryan Reynolds missed Sunday's game after taking a foul ball off the knee the night before. The Pirates expect it 's relatively minor, day-to-day injury & recovery.
• 2B/CF Ji-Hwan Bae (ankle) began his rehab stint at Indy on Tuesday. 
• Ben Cherrington said SS O’Neil Cruz would begin a rehab assignment later this month and the hope is that he’ll be back playing in September.

Oneil Cruz hopes to be back - photo 2023/Pirates

• It was confirmed: IF Tucupita Marcano will have ACL surgery.
• David Bednar was named the Pirates recipient of the 2023 Heart and Hustle Award, and is in the running now for the MLB award.
• After some tinkering in Florida, Roansy Contreras got a couple of innings of live work with Bradenton, tossing two 6-up, 6-down innings with a couple of Ks with his fastball velo still down a few ticks at 93 MPH.
• Indy's RHP Jared Jones has cracked MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list.
• 2022's top draft pick 2B Temarr Johnson, 19, has been tearing it up lately in Bradenton after a slow start (he began the season with a hammy injury); he was promoted to Hi-A Greensboro. Also on the move was LHP Braedon Ogle (36 K in 33 IP; 0-0-2/4.91), who was bumped up from Altoona to Indy.
• Bradenton's 1B Josiah Sightler (.536/6/24) was named Player of the Month and RHP Wilber Dotel (0.35 ERA in 25-2/3 IP) was the Pitcher of the Month in the Florida State League. Also honored as the Florida Complex (Rookie) League POTM was OF/1B Esmerlyn Valdez, who hit .410 in July.
• RHP Tyler Glasnow was named the AL Pitcher of the Month. He slashed 3-2/2.11 with 51 K in 38-1/3 IP through six outings.
• IF Mark Mathias, claimed from the Bucs by Seattle at the start of July, is moving to his third club of the campaign. He and AJ Pollack were sent to San Francisco.
• The Miami Marlins got 1B/DH Josh Bell, once hoped to be a Bucco building block, from the Cleveland Guardians for IF's Jean Segura and Kahlil Watson.
• RHP Adrian Sampson was traded to Tampa Bay by the Cubs. Adrian was a Pirates property into 2015; he's notched five big league campaigns since, but is just coming back from rehabbing a knee injury that caused him to miss all of 2023.
• The Twins claimed former Pirates OF Jordan Luplow after he was released by the Toronto Blue Jays.
• OF Corey Dickerson was released by the Nats and cleared waivers. Like during his Pirates days, he missed considerable time due to calf injuries.