Pirates Fans Get First Taste of Esmerlyn Valdez in MLB Debut
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates made the decision to call up an exciting prospect in Esmerlyn Valdez and now they'll give him his first chance at the highest level of baseball.
Valdez will start in right field and bat eighth in the lineup for the Pirates, as they face off against the Toronto Blue Jays in the series opener at the Rogers Centre on May 22. This is Valdez's first start in the major leagues and also will serve as his MLB debut.
It's a massive opportunity for the 22-year old, who was at High-A Greensboro at the start of last season and has quickly risen into now playing an important role on a contending team.
The Pirates now have one of their more promising bats in their lineup and showing that they want their best players on their roster.
Why Pirates Are Starting Valdez in RF
The Pirates normally had Ryan O'Hearn as their starting right fielder, with an array of other players filling in behind him or getting a start there every now and then.
O'Hearn suffered a right quad muscle strain against the Philadelphia Phillies on May 16, which landed him on the 10-day injured list the day after and he could miss up to four weeks.
He was one of the Pirates best hitters and also provided power, which the current Pirates players off the bench didn't do.
Valdez joined the team officially today and fellow right-handed power bat prospect Jhostynxon Garcia earned his call up ahead of the series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, May 19-21.
Both players are much different than the players that the Pirates sent down to make room for them in Nick Yorke and Billy Cook, who have struggled from the plate this season and aren't the biggest power hitters.
Valdez is an experienced right fielder, starting 185 of 192 games played there in the minor leagues and starting 34 games this season for Triple-A Indianapolis.
He'll add some power to the lineup, hitting 10 home runs for Indianapolis this season, tied for seventh-most in the International League, and hit 26 home runs in High-A and Double-A Altoona last season.
The Pirates will want to see Valdez bring that power further down the lineup, making it much more competitive outside the usual sluggers in center fielder Oneil Cruz, second baseman Brandon Lowe and others.
Valdez could keep himself on the roster if he manages to get off to a strong start and could feature a as key bat out of the dugout for this Pirates team.
Pirates Lineup vs. Blue Jays
Player | Position | Batting Side |
|---|---|---|
Oneil Cruz | Designated Hitter | Left |
Brandon Lowe | Second Base | Left |
Nick Gonzales | Third Base | Right |
Spencer Horwitz | First Base | Left |
Konnor Griffin | Shortstop | Right |
Jhostynxon Garcia | Center Field | Right |
Endy Rodríguez | Catcher | Switch |
Esmerlyn Valdez | Right Field | Right |
Jake Mangum | Left Field | Switch |
The Pirates will have an almost entirely new outfield compared to their 6-2 series finale win over the Cardinals on May 21.
Garcia makes his second start in center field and third start in the past four games for the Pirates and will hit sixth, while Jake Mangum moves over to left field from right field and moves down to ninth in the batting order.
Bryan Reynolds won't start in this game, marking the third game he hasn't done so for the Pirates in 2026.
Marcell Ozuna is also not in the starting lineup, as Cruz moves to designated hitter for his fourth start there and will leadoff.
Nick Gonzales returns to third base in place of Jared Triolo and will bat third, while Lowe hits second, first baseman Spencer Horwitz hits fourth and shortstop Konnor Griffin hits fifth to round out the Pirates infield.
Endy Rodríguez is catcher for the Pirates and he will work with right-handed starting pitcher Bubba Chandler, who is looking for a strong outing against the Blue Jays.
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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.