Pirates Call Up Infield Prospect
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates had extra room on the roster with the beginning of September and added one of their better prospects to the team.
The Pirates recalled second baseman Nick Yorke from Triple-A Indianapolis on Sept. 1, according to the transaction log. They make Yorke one of their two extra players on the MLB roster, which expands from 26 to 28 players in the month of September.
Yorke has spent all 2025 with Indianapolis, slashing .287/.348/.406 for an OPS of .754, with 115 hits, 21 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 59 RBIs, 36 walks to 97 strikeouts and 17 stolen bases on 23 attempts.
He had his best month of the season from the plate in August, as he slashed .337/.382/.446 for an OPS of .828, with 34 hits in 101 at-bats, 18 runs, eight doubles, one home run, 15 RBIs, eight walks to 18 strikeouts and five stolen bases.
Yorke struggled early on in 2025, going on the injured list in April and batting .212 that month, before returning to his best form in May, slashing .322/.366/.425 for an OPS of .791.
He joined the Pirates in a trade with the Boston Red Sox, which sent right-handed starting pitcher Quinn Priester the other way on July 29, 2024.
Yorke spent most of 2024 in the minor leagues, slashing .251/.325/.366 in 45 games with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs. He had 44 hits, eight doubles, four home runs, 27 RBIs, 18 walks and eight stolen bases.
The Red Sox then brought him up to Triple-A, where he hit .310 with 45 hits in 145 at-bats, eight doubles, six home runs and 19 RBI and 24 walks to 36 strikeouts in 38 games for the Worcester Woo Dogs before the trade.
Yorke played in 40 games for Indianapolis after the trade and played even better, slashing .355/.431/.507, finished with an OPS of .938 and had 54 hits, 17 doubles, two home runs, 26 RBIs, 18 walks and seven stolen bases.
The Pirates selected Yorke's contract on Sept. 16, and he played in 11 games. He had eight hits in 37 at-bats, batting .216, added four walks for a .286 on-base percentage, slugged .378 and hit two home runs and two RBIs.
Yorke mainly plays at second base, with 57 starts there in 2025 with Indianapolis, but works more like a utility man, able to play in multiple positions.
He started 22 games in right field, 13 games as designated hitter, seven games and four starts in left field and five starts at first base.
Yorke provides the Pirates with experience at many positions, giving him more opportunities to play around in the last month of the season.
MLB Pipeline ranks the 23-year old the 11th best propsect in the Pirates system.
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.