Pirates recall familiar face to help kickstart offensive momentum

The Pittsburgh Pirates offense this season has been among the worst in all of baseball. Numerous players have underperformed and that has kept the Pirates below .500. The offense did pick it up in the series against the Cubs, as they were able to take three out of four, but in order to keep any momentum going, Pittsburgh's braintrust determined they needed to make a change. According to Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates are calling up Ji Hwan Bae after a fiery first month-plus at Triple-A.

Bae begin the year on the injured list with a hip injury, but he has played games in the minor leagues for a month. Despite joining the team a few weeks into the season, Bae has been one of the best hitters in the Indianapolis lineup.

Through 27 games played, Bae has a .367 batting average with four home runs and 15 runs batted in. He also has an OPS of 1.030, which includes an on-base percentage of .479 and a slugging percentage of .551. His wRC+ has been exceptionally high at 172, and his walk percentage is very impressive at 17.2%. Strikeouts remain an issue for Bae, as he has struck out at a 27.9% rate.

What can Ji Hwan Bae bring to Pittsburgh Pirates lineup?

His bat has been great so far, but his speed is another thing that benefits the Pirates. Last season, Bae stole 24 bases to lead the team. This year, the Pirates have only stolen 26 bases as a team, which is ranked 23rd in the entire MLB. That speed on the bases is going to help the Pirates score more runs. Bae has stolen seven bases in Triple-A this season. That would rank first on the Pirates.

This addition to the big league roster should benefit the Pirates a ton and help win more games. Bae is already on the 40-man roster, but there will need to be someone removed from the active roster to make room for Bae. There are a few players that the Pirates could send down to correspond this move.

Jack Suwinski has been among the worst hitters on the Pirates roster. He has minor-league options still, so the Pirates could allow him to find a groove in Triple-A. This season, Suwinski has a .172 batting average with four home runs and 13 runs batted in. He also has an OPS of .562, which includes an on-base percentage of .263 and a slugging percentage of .299. His wRC+ is very low at 58 and his strikeout percentage is at 25%.

Alika Williams has also been a below-average hitter off of the Pirates bench. He also has minor league options the Pirates could work with. This season, Williams has a batting average of .232 with two triples and two runs batted in. He also has an OPS of .580, which includes an on-base percentage of .259 and a slugging percentage of .321. His wRC+ is very low at 61, and his strikeout percentage is at 22.6%.

Both of these players are not producing on offense, which could result in thier demotion. Bae can play infield and outfield, so either player will not make a big defensive impact. There have been a lot of rumors around the Pirates potentially designating Rowdy Tellez for assignment. This could be possible, but it is unlikely that it will be the corresponding move for Bae.

The Pirates are getting a much needed boost on offense with Ji Hwan Bae and this could result in more wins. The team currently has a record of 22-26, with two big series against the Giants and Braves on the horizon.