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Hunter Stratton made his long-awaited return to the mound for the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier this week. Unfortunately, it wasn't a triumphant one.
The right-handed reliever, returning to the big leagues for the first time since rupturing his patella tendon during a game last August, made two appearances for Pittsburgh this week and allowed a total of four runs over 1 2/3 innings. As a result, the Pirates made the difficult but necessary decision to option him to Triple-A Indianapolis ahead of this weekend's series against the San Diego Padres.
In a corresponding move, the Pirates recalled infielder Liover Peguero from Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday. The 24-year-old former top prospect has slashed .258/.309/.382 with one home run and three stolen bases this season with Indianapolis and will likely serve as a utility infielder for Pittsburgh.
Pirates finally give buried ex-top prospect Liover Peguero a second chance as Hunter Stratton gets boot
Peguero first joined the Pirates organization in January 2020 when he came over from the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Starling Marte trade. The Pirates first assigned Peguero to Single-A Bradenton in 2021, and he earned his first Major League call-up straight from Double-A Altoona in 2022.
In his Major League debut with the Pirates, Peguero went 1-for-3 with a walk and a single against the San Francisco Giants before being optioned back to Double-A two days later.
Peguero has appeared in 63 Major League games over the last three seasons for the Pirates, most recently getting a three-game September call-up in 2024. His longest stint in the big leagues came in 2023, when he slashed .237/.280/.374 with seven home runs and 26 RBI in 59 games. At the big league level, he owns a .237 career batting average (50-for-211) with five doubles, seven home runs, 28 RBI and a .650 OPS.
Peguero's minor league numbers are more impressive. He has a career slash line of .268/.326/.420 through seven seasons in the minors, where he has played at second base, third base, shortstop and DH. The 24-year-old will provide some relief to a Pirates infield that has been stretched thin by the injury to second baseman Nick Gonzales.
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