Pirates Add Outfielder to MLB Roster
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates, amongst a number of moves, added a new player to their MLB roster.
The Pirates announced that they added outfielder Alexander Canario to their 26-man Major League Roster and optioned infielder/outfielder Ji Hwan Bae to Triple-A Indianapolis.
We have added OF Alexander Canario to our 26-man Major League Roster, and INF/OF Ji Hwan Bae has been optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 3, 2025
In addition, C Jason Delay, who was designated for assignment on April 1, has been traded to the Braves for cash considerations.
Canario hails from Monte Cristi in the Dominican Republic and he signed with the San Francisco Giants as an international free agent on July 2, 2016.
He would play for the Giants in the Dominican Summer League in 2017, where he slashed .294/.391/.464 and hit 17 doubles, five home runs and 45 RBIs, ranking third, third and second in the league, respectively. He earned Baseball American DSL All-Star honors.
Canario played with the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes at Low-A in 2019, hitting a fourth-best .301/.365/.539 in the Northwest League. He also hit 17 doubles, nine home runs, 40 RBIs and 38 runs, ranking first, second, third and sixth best marks in the league.
He played for the Arizona League Giants in the fall, hitting .395/.435/1.000 and nine home runs in 43 at-bats. He earned All-Star honors from the MiLB.com Organization, Baseball America Short-Season All-Star, Northwest League Post-Season.
Canario didn't play in the 2020 season, as the MiLB cancelled the minor league season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He would start 2021 with the San Jose Giants at Single-A, hitting .235/.325/.433 with 9 home runs, 14 doubles, three triples, 29 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases in 65 games.
The Giants traded Canario to the Chicago Cubs on July 30, along with right-handed pitcher Caleb Killian for third baseman Kris Bryant.
Canario played for the South Bend Cubs at High-A the rest of 2021. He then played for South Bend, Tennessee Smokies at Double-A and the Iowa Cubs at Triple-A in 2022.
He played for Iowa at the start of 2023 and eventually made it to the Cubs at the end of the season.
Canario made it back to Chicago for 15 games, from mid-April through early May and then two games in July. He spent the rest of it at Iowa.
The Cubs designated Canario for assignment on Feb. 20 and then traded him to the New York Mets for cash considerations on Feb. 24.
Canario slashed .306/.419./.611 in 36 at-bats in 17 Spring Training games for the Mets, with 11 hits, two doubles, three home runs, eight RBIs and seven walks to 15 strikeouts.
The Pirates would land Canario in a trade for cash considerations on March 31.
The Pirates now have six outfielders on their roster, along with Canario. This includes Bryan Reynolds, Jack Suwinski, Tommy Pham, Oneil Cruz and Andrew McCutchent.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.