Pirates Make Exciting Move With 'The Password'
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates need a player that can provide some offense off the bench and they're adding that ahead of their next series.
The Pirates are promoting outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia prior to their series vs. the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, May 19-21, according to Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Garcia will become the corresponding move for the Pirates, who optioned utility man Nick Yorke to Triple-A Indianapolis on May 17, following their series sweep defeat to the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park.
He is already on the 40-man roster, so Garcia won't force the Pirates to DFA someone, while also finally getting a chance to show fans why they're so excited to see him play.
Why Pirates Are Bringing Up Garcia
The Pirates have had some good bats in their lineup this season, particularly with their outfield trio, with left fielder Bryan Reynolds, center fielder Oneil Cruz and right fielder Ryan O'Hearn.
O'Hearn went on the 10-day injured list with a right quad muscle strain on May 17 and the Pirates lost a key member of their lineup.
The Pirates have struggled to find good bats outside of their main nine hitters, with Yorke batting .197 and outfielder Billy Cook hitting .190. Jake Mangum, who just returned from the injured list, is batting .253, but has no power, while Jared Triolo's value comes in his glove, not his bat.
Garcia joined the Pirates via trade with the Boston Red Sox this past offseason, as they sent right-handed starting pitcher Johan Oviedo the other way.
The Pirates envisioned "The Password" as a a future right-handed power bat, that can play all three outfield positions.
It's no easy feat hitting home runs at PNC Park, but Garcia is mainly a pull power hitter, which will see him cruzh many balls into the left field bleachers.
Garcia has little MLB experience, just seven at-bats with the Red Sox last season, but the Pirates need offense now, particularly coming off of two shutout defeats to the Phillies.
He has hit six home runs since his return from a lower back tightness, which includes three home runs on his rehab assignment with Single-A Bradenton and three home runs in his first three at-bats back with Indianapolis on May 12.
Garcia now has a great chance to excel with the Pirates bringing him up and it's up to him to seize the opportunity ahead of him and provide that power.
More Background on Jhostynxon Garcia
Garcia is 23 years old and hails from Venezuela, signing with the Red Sox back in July 2019 as a free agent.
He stands 6-foot, 224 pounds and started developing into a home run hitter the previous two seasons, hitting 23 home runs in 2024 and 21 home runs in 2025,
Garcia has a fantastic swing, as it's fast, but also smooth and when he opens up his body, he can do some serious damage on a baseball he connects with.
Those three home runs he hit at Triple-A in his first game back he didn't just hit right over the wall, he crushe them. He hit the first one 107.3 mph and 437 feet to center field, sent the second one109.9 mph and 393 feet to left-center field on the second one and then hit the third one 113.5 mph and 374 feet back to left-center field.
Garcia has a great Spring Training with the Pirates, serving as one of their best hitters during that time.
He slashed .405/.463/.595 for an OPS of 1.058 in 17 games, with 15 hits in 37 at-bats, a double, two home runs, five RBI and four walks to 10 strikeouts, plus three stolen bases, impressing Pirates manager Don Kelly.
That back injury that slowed him down and saw him hit poorly in Triple-A, slashing .158/.186/.175 for an OPS of .361 in 14 games with no home runs.
With Garcia back fully healthy, he'll look to get a run of games and prove the Pirates made the right choice in a big series against a divisional rival.
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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.