The Pittsburgh Pirates are starting to get healthy. According to multiple reports, the team plans to activate outfielder Corey Dickerson and third baseman Jung Ho Kang to the active roster. As of this posting, the team has yet to announce any corresponding moves.
Pittsburgh Pirates to Activate Corey Dickerson, Jung Ho Kang
Dickerson only played four games this season before going down with a shoulder injury. The injury was bad enough to land him on the 60-day injured list, so the Pirates will need to open a spot on their 40-man roster prior to his activation. During his first year in Pittsburgh, the lefty posted a .300/.330/.474 slash line with a corresponding 115 wRC+ in 135 games.
Jung Ho Kang, meanwhile, is returning from an oblique injury. Kang’s injury wasn’t nearly as severe as Dickerson’s, as the righty only went on the 10-day injured list. The 32-year old had a fantastic spring but has struggled at the plate in the regular season. In 98 plate appearances this season, Kang posted an underwhelming .133/.204/.300 slash line with a corresponding 33 wRC+. However, the righty is tearing the cover off the ball in his rehab assignment to the tune of a .444/.516/.667 slash line and a 206 wRC+. He obviously won’t sustain that at the major league level, but perhaps some time off is just what the doctor ordered.
Despite their 30-32 record, Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes are very much alive. They have a long way to go, but they’re currently just 3.5 games out of the second Wild Card and five games out of first place in the AL Central. However, their -73 run differential is the second-worst mark in the National League and the fourth-worst in all of baseball. Only the Baltimore Orioles (-123), Detroit Tigers (-107) and San Francisco Giants (-80) have worse run differentials than Pittsburgh Pirates.
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