Nick Gonzales is being recalled to join the Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates' offense has been nothing less than disappointing this season. For the last three weeks, the Pirates offense has been ranked at the bottom of the entire league. One of the issues came from minimal offensive production from second base. To avoid losing to multiple division rivals in the next week, Ben Cherington decided to call up Nick Gonzales, according to Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.

Let's take a look at the season Gonzales is having and who might be going down to correspond with the transaction:

Nick Gonzales was the Pirates' first-round selection in the 2020 MLB Draft. Gonzales then became a highly-ranked prospect in the Pirates farm system. Last year, he made his major league debut and struggled, resulting in him starting the year in the minor leagues.

In 30 games with Indianapolis, Gonzales has a batting average of .358 with four home runs and 19 runs batted in. He also has an OPS of 1.039, which includes an on-base percentage of .431 and a slugging percentage of .608. Extra base hits have not been a problem for Nick, as he has 14 doubles and two triples to add to his four home runs.

Part of his struggles in his rookie season were due to striking out a lot. In 2023, Gonzales had a strikeout percentage of 28.1 percent. This season has been different for him, as he has dropped that percentage to 17.5 percent. He has also doubled his walk percentage from 4.7 percent to 9.5 percent. He is seeing the ball much better this season, and that has resulted in better production and a promotion.

Gonzales is already on the 40-man roster, so all the Pirates need to do is clear an active roster spot. Two guys have gotten the bulk of innings at second base this season and both of them have not been great at the plate.

Jared Triolo was the starting second baseman for the Pirates on Opening Day. Through 34 games, he has not been swinging the bat as well as he did in his rookie season. He has a batting average of .208 with a home run and 11 runs batted in. He also has an OPS of .544, which includes an on-base percentage of .294 and a slugging percentage of .250. His wRC+ is also very low at 62, and his strikeout percentage is at 22.8 percent.

Although Triolo has not been swinging the bat real well, he has been very impressive on defense. In 257 innings, Triolo has saved a very impressive six defensive runs. He has only made one error, which makes his fielding percentage .992. Due to his poor hitting to start the season, Triolo may be the corresponding move for Gonzales. He still has two minor league options remaining.

Alika Williams is another player who could be sent down for Gonzales. Williams has served as a utility infielder and starts a few games a week. Through 15 games played, Williams has a batting average of .239 with two triples and two runs batted in. He also has an OPS of .619, which includes an on-base percentage of .271 and a slugging percentage of .348. His wRC+ is also very low at 73, and his strikeout percentage is 17.6 percent.

Like Triolo, Williams has had a solid glove in his career, but it has not been as good this season. In 81.1 innings at second base, Williams has saved negative one defensive runs and has an outs above average of negative one. He has also made one error, which makes his fielding percentage at second base .968. He still has three minor league options remaining.

The Pirates are getting a much needed upgrade at second base with Nick Gonzales. Bringing up Paul Skenes and Gonzales for an important ten game stretch against NL Central opponents was the right decision.