The Pittsburgh Pirates are calling up infield prospect Nick Yorke from Triple-A Indianapolis for Monday night’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette beat reporter Noah Hiles was the first to break this story.
Sources: The Pirates are promoting Nick Yorke to the big leagues. He is with the team in St. Louis. Yorke is rated the team’s No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline.
— Noah Hiles (@_NoahHiles) September 16, 2024
Pirates Call Up Infield Prospect Yorke for St. Louis Series
Yorke was obtained from the Boston Red Sox near the trade deadline in exchange for pitcher Quinn Priester. Ironically, Yorke will make his major league debut tonight on Priester’s birthday. Since the trade, Priester has been with Triple-A Worcester, where he has a 5.67 ERA in eight starts, and has yet to appear in a Red Sox uniform.
Yorke was unknown to Pittsburgh fans when he was acquired. However, he instantly became the Pirates’ No. 6 prospect. Previously, he earned his first promotion to Triple-A just this season. With Worcester, he hit .310/.408/.490, 6 HR, and 19 RBI in 38 games. Pirates general manager Ben Cherington, who was Boston’s GM from 2011-15 and has frequently found his former employer a willing trade partner, was intrigued enough by Yorke to shed a pitcher for some sorely lacking middle infield organizational depth.
Yorke hit .355/.431/.507, 2 HR, and 26 RBI with Indianapolis. He’s hit safely in 33 of 40 games there. The 22-year-old right-handed hitter is primarily a second baseman but has also played in the outfield. With Indy, he saw action all over the outfield and at every infield position except first base. Mostly, he played second base there. Nick Gonzales has that position locked down at present, but with the Pirates out of contention, it’s become time to give Yorke a taste of the major leagues. He’s in the starting lineup tonight, hitting sixth against Cardinals right-hander Andre Pallante.
With the recent promotion of Billy Cook, both highly regarded prospects acquired at the trade deadline are now with the big club.
Williams Goes Down Again
To make room for Yorke on the active roster, the Pirates sent versatile infielder Alika Williams to Triple-A. This is the fourth time in 2024 that the Pirates have dispatched Williams to Indianapolis. Although he made the team out of spring training, it’s clear the Pirates see Williams as a mere depth option in the infield, making him the logical choice to step aside for Yorke. Williams, 25, is a good fielder but hit just .207/.242/.299 in 37 games for Pittsburgh.
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