Pittsburgh Pirates: Tucupita Marcano Claimed Off Waiver By NL West Club

The Pittsburgh Pirates have lost utility man Tucupita Marcano to the San Diego Padres via waivers

Tucupita Marcano is going back to his original MLB organization. After being placed on waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates, the 24-year-old utility man has been claimed by the San Diego Padres. Marcano was traded to the Pirates by the Padres as part of the Adam Frazier deal in July 2021.

Marcano appeared in 75 games for the Pirates accumulatin 220 plate apperances. The left-handed hitting Marcano hit for a .233/.276/.356 slash line in these 220 PAs, posting a 68 wRC+, 72 OPS+, 4.5% walk rate, and a 15.9% strikeout rate.

In 397 PAs with the Pirates the past two seasons Marcano hit for just a .221/.267/.334 slash line. He posted a 63 wRC+, 5.0% walk rate, 19.9% strikeout rate, and an isolated slugging (ISO) of just .113. Despite the speed, energy, and defense Marcano brought to the table, his better never played in the majors with the Bucs.

Marcano's final appearance in 2023 came on July 24th. This was due to him suffering a gruesome torn ACL injury while running the bases. Due to this injury, it is still unclear if Marcano will be available for Opening Day 2024 or not. This likely factored into the organisation's decision to put him on waivers.

San Diego's familiarity with Marcano likely makes them less worried about the state of his knee entering the offseason. Moving forward it remains to be seen if Marcano will stick on San Diego's 40-man roster or not. Here at Rum Bunter we wish him all the best as he recovers from his surgery, and begins his new adventure with his new/old team.