Esmerlyn Valdez may have slammed the door on Marcell Ozuna's Pirates future

Esmerlyn Valdez has been a dream for the Pittsburgh Pirates since being recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis. The 22-year-old's red-hot power display has made it impossible to imagine the Pirates lineup without him being a part of it.

Coming out of the July 4 weekend hitting .310/.359/.662, good for a 170 wRC+, the youngster is due for regression as the league figures him out. But at this height, there's a good chance that when he falls, he'll still be a very productive force.

Meanwhile, in part due to Valdez's emergence, Marcell Ozuna has taken a back seat and become a part-time player. It's a role that Ozuna has embraced, trying to make the most of his opportunities when called upon while still trying to impact the team in other ways.

"I’m the older guy on the team, so I’m trying to give the advice that I know,” Ozuna said recently. “I’m just trying to keep in check with everyone and tell them the truth. 'Let’s see this and that, see if it can help you.' That’s what I do, taking care of everyone.”

There is value to that, for sure, but it only goes so far. A team is only afforded 26 roster spots, and on-field production matters.

To be fair to Ozuna, he's been better of late. His season line is an abysmal .202/.286/.324, and the 35-year-old recorded a putrid .467 OPS over the season's first month. Since May 1, he's hitting a slightly better .237/.336/.395. But as a DH-only player, producing a 101 wRC+ isn't going to cut it.

For the time being, Ozuna can co-exist with Valdez and the rest of the roster and impart his wisdom. But soon Pittsburgh will experience a roster crunch that will lead to real questions for Ozuna's future.

Oneil Cruz and Spencer Horwitz's impending returns make the Pirates' choice between Esmerlyn Valdez and Marcell Ozuna clear

Oneil Cruz and Spencer Horwitz are on the IL, but they won't be for much longer. Cruz is ahead of Horwitz, and with either one returning to action, the calculus for the Pirates' interconnected first base-outfield-designated hitter ecosystem will change.

With that logjam becoming more crowded, it will open real questions as to whether or not the club can realistically roster a part-time DH with no defensive value. The answer should be no.

Even if Valdez hits the skids and has to make adjustments, it's clear that he has more value at this point than Ozuna does. For one thing, he can actually play the outfield, which presents more options. For another, he's shown that he can provide right-handed pop, which Ozuna was ostensibly brought in to provide to Pittsburgh's lefty-heavy lineup.

The bottom line is that Valdez is the future, and Ozuna's best days are clearly behind him. It came fast, but when Father Time calls, no one can truly resist. With that, the Pirates will need to eat some cash to jettison Ozuna. That's a bitter pill, but a necessary one. It's pretty clear that Valdez's offensive floor is what the team has gotten from Ozuna, but the ceiling is much higher. Ozuna's days should be numbered, and Valdez is the reason why.

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