Just before the first pitch of Paul Skenes’ third MLB start in Thursday’s series finale against the San Francisco Giants, the Pittsburgh Pirates sent outfielder Jack Suwinski down to Triple-A Indianapolis.
In a corresponding move, left-handed reliever Jose Hernandez was called up from the Indians.
Suwinski has struggled at the plate in 2024, hitting only .174 with an on-base percentage of .268 over 49 games.
The 25-year-old has four home runs and 13 RBIs but has struck out 40 times.
This demotion to Triple-A is a setback for Suwinski, who led the team with a career-high 26 home runs and 74 RBIs in 2023.
In his rookie season in 2022, Suwinski hit 19 home runs over 106 games, splitting his time between the majors and Triple-A.
Hernandez brings much-needed support to a heavily used Pirates bullpen.
The 26-year-old had a 1-1 record with a 1.93 ERA in six appearances with Pittsburgh before being sent to Indianapolis in mid-April.
With the Indians, he posted a 7.62 ERA over 13 innings, with 19 strikeouts.
However, he becomes the only other left-handed reliever available to manager Derek Shelton, aside from Aroldis Chapman.
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