Pirates OF Gets Locker Ahead of Phillies Series
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PHILADELPHIA — The Pittsburgh Pirates have brought up an extra player ahead of their weekend series vs. the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
Nick Solak has a locker in the clubhouse and the Pirates optioned outfielder Ji Hwan Bae to Triple-A Indianapolis, making room on the 26-man active roster.
The Pirates also designated infielder/outfielder Michael Helman for assignment, making room for Solak on the 40-man roster.
We have selected the contract of INF/OF Nick Solak from Triple-A Indianapolis, and optioned OF Ji Hwan Bae to Indianapolis to make room for Solak on the 26-man active roster
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 16, 2025
INF/OF Michael Helman has been designated for assignment to make room for Solak on the 40-man roster.
Solak has played exceptionally with Triple-A Indianapolis, slashing .393/.452/.625 for an OPS of 1.077 in 32 games, with 44 hits in 112 at-bats, six doubles, one triple, six home runs, 19 RBIs and 12 walks to 17 strikeouts.
He leads the International League in batting average, ranks second in on-base percentage, third in OPS, fourth in slugging percentage and seventh in hits.
Solak hails from Woodbridge, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, and was born on Jan. 11, 1995. He would play for Naperville North High School in Naperville, Ill., batting .442 as a junior in 2012 and .340 as a senior in 2013.
The Pirates sent him a questionnaire prior to the 2013 MLB Draft, but Solak would go on and play for Louisville.
He slashed .376/.470/.564 as a junior in 2016 with Louisville, earning Second Team All-American honors.
The New York Yankees took Solak in the second round of the 2016 MLB Draft and Solak would sign for $950,000.
He made it up to Double-A in 2017, but the Yankees traded him to the Tampa Bay Rays on Feb. 18, 2018.
Solak then made it up to Triple-A in 2019, but the Rays traded him to the Texas Rangers for pitcher Pete Fairbanks. He would make his MLB debut on Aug. 20 and he played in 33 games for the Rangers, slashing .293/.393/.491 for an OPS of .884, with 34 hits, six doubles, a triple, five home runs, 17 RBIs and 15 walks to 29 strikeouts.
He played 58 of the 60 games in the COVID-19 pandemic shortened 2020 season for Texas, slashing .268/.326/.344 for an OPS of .670, with 56 hits, 10 doubles, two home runs, 23 RBIs and 18 walks to 42 strikeouts.
Solak played 127 games for the Rangers, mostly at second base, spending a month with Triple-A Round Rock after the Rangers optioned him there. He slashed .242/.314/.362 for an OPS of .676 with 111 hits, 18 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs, 49 RBIs and 34 walks to 107 strikeouts.
He played 35 games for Texas in 2022, before they optioned him to Round Rock on May 19, where he spent the rest of the season.
The Rangers traded Solak to the Cincinnati Reds for cash considerations on Nov. 10. The Reds then traded Solak to the Seattle Mariners on March 31, 2023, after they designated him for assignment the day prior.
Seattle would designated Solak for assignment on April 10, after he had just one hit in 13 at-bats for Triple-A Tacoma.
The Chicago White Sox claimed him off waivers on April 14, sent him to Triple-A Charlotte, then designated him for assignment on April 18. The Atlanta Braves claimed him off waivers, where he appeared in one MLB game, before they desingated him for assignment on June 6.
The Detroit Tigers claimed Solak off waivers on June 9 and appeared in one game, while spending most of his time with Triple-A Toledo.
Solak signed a minor league contract with the Mariners on Jan. 30, 2024, playing with Tacoma, slashing .311/.406/.446 for an OPS of .852, with 92 hits, 13 doubles, nine home runs, 53 RBIs and 41 walks to 53 strikeouts.
He elected free agency on Nov. 4 and signed a minor league contract with the Pirates on Dec. 6.
The Pirates currently have healthy outfielders in Bryan Reynolds, Andrew McCutchen, Tommy Pham, Alexander Canario and Solak.
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.