The Pirates announced the selection of outfielder/first baseman Matt Gorski onto the major league roster. Pittsburgh also recalled righty Mike Burrows. They optioned Jack Suwinski to Triple-A Indianapolis and placed Justin Lawrence on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation. Pittsburgh transferred lefty reliever Tim Mayza from the 15-day to the 60-day IL to create a 40-man roster spot for Gorski. Mayza is facing a weeks-long shutdown with lat and shoulder strains, so the transfer is a formality.
It’s the first major league call for the 27-year-old Gorski. A second-round pick out of Indiana in 2019, he ranked in the middle of Pittsburgh’s top 30 prospects for his first couple pro seasons. Evaluators credited Gorski with solid speed and power but questioned his pure hit tool. He posted alarming strikeout rates for a college draftee in the low minors. He nevertheless reached Triple-A by the end of 2023 and has played there for the past two years.
Gorski batted .257/.319/.522 over 113 games a year ago. He connected on 23 homers and stole 15 bases, though he was also caught nine times. Gorski struck out at a near-29% clip, so Pittsburgh decided not to add him to the 40-man and left him exposed to the Rule 5 draft. He went unselected and remained with the Bucs. He received a Spring Training invite and hit .360 with four homers in 27 trips to the plate.
The Bucs assigned Gorski back to Triple-A to begin this year. He’s out to a nice start, connecting on three homers and seven doubles while hitting .300 over 18 games. He has fanned 18 times in 73 plate appearances (23.4%) but done enough for the Pirates to see if he can improve the lineup. The Pirates are hitting .222/.304/.335 on the season. They’re in the bottom 10 in both average and on-base percentage, while only the White Sox and Royals have a lower slugging mark.
Primarily a right fielder, Gorski has experience at all three outfield spots and at first base. Oneil Cruz has center field locked down, while Bryan Reynolds is back in right after spending time at DH because of triceps discomfort. Gorski could take some at-bats from left fielder Tommy Pham, who is hitting .184/.267/.224 without a home run. Lefty-hitting utility infielder Enmanuel Valdez has been playing first base. Gorski could factor in there against lefty pitching.
Meanwhile, Burrows draws into Derek Shelton’s bullpen with Lawrence on the shelf. Pittsburgh claimed Lawrence off waivers from the Rockies early in Spring Training. The righty had pitched well in the early going, working 11 1/3 frames of one-run ball. He struck out 15 and was getting grounders at a strong 52.4% clip. It’s unclear for how long he’ll be out of action.
Alex Stumpf of MLB.com first noted that Gorski was in the clubhouse. Colin Beazley of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was first to report that Suwinski would be optioned and Burrows was being recalled.
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