3 promotions the Pirates should consider to keep hot stretch going

The Pirates are red hot, outscoring the Mets 30-4 in their best series of the season. Despite still sitting 15 games below .500, Pittsburgh is starting to play better all around baseball as a unit. Tanking is pointless with the draft lottery, so why not try and still win, even though the playoffs remain extremely unlikely?

The roster still has multiple dead ends, and there are three players in Triple-A that have been doing well that could help give Pittsburgh more ways to win. After all, the Pirates are expected to unload a handful of players, so they should really find long-term solutions by doling out playing time at the big league level, rather than relying on a handful of bridge players.

These three players should get a look now that the Pirates are starting to heat up.

Ronny Simon

Ronny Simon was recently acquired off of waivers from the Marlins. Immediately sent to Triple-A, Simon has been one of the best hitters in that level, and could provide better offensive help over Jared Triolo. The defense is a major step down between the two, but regardless, his bat needs to be on the roster.

Since joining Indianapolis, Simon has generated a 123 wRC+ with three home runs and nine stolen bases across 19 games. He adds a .829 OPS and an 18.9% strikeout rate. Simon plays all over the place and his switch-hitting abilities could be very valuable to the team.

Jack Suwinski

Jack Suwinski was recently up with the team during the doubleheader against the Tigers, but was sent right back down when the day wrapped. Ever since getting sent to Triple-A earlier in the season, Suwinski has really figured things out, and could be the left-handed bat Pittsburgh has been missing.

In Triple-A, Suwinski has belted 10 home runs with 44 RBI and a 121 wRC+. His OPS is up to .845, carried by a .500 slugging percentage. One problem still lingers in his 30.8% strikeout rate, but regardless of that, the Pirates need him to get MLB at-bats. He was expected to be a starter in 2024 and 2025, but obviously his lack of playing time and struggles have prevented that. Now is the time to see what Pittsburgh has in him.

Dauri Moreta

The Pirates bullpen is burnt up after Braxton Ashcraft and Carmen Mlodzinski both exceeded 50 pitches, and Dennis Santana will be out the first two games against the Cardinals. Because of a taxed bullpen in a big series with the Cardinals, now would be a great time to get Dauri Moreta back in the bullpen.

Moreta is done with his rehab assignment and was optioned to Triple-A. He has done pretty well down there, too, and it feels like a great time to get him back in Pittsburgh. His ERA sits at 3.00 with a 3.58 FIP and a 12.13 K/9 across 21 innings. He has walked guys at a high 15.9% rate, but he has always walked a lot of guys, so that's not quite an uncharacteristic stat for him. He could spark this team in a great way, and that degree of bullpen intensity is something they have been missing.