Pirates Give Marcell Ozuna One More Chance
In this story:
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates lineup has mostly exceeded expectations this season, but one player hasn't lived up to the billing so far.
Pirates designated hitter Marcell Ozuna has struggled greatly in 2026, serving as one of the worst qualified hitters in baseball after signing a one-year, $12 million deal this offseason.
Ozuna will return to the Pirates lineup for the first time in almost a week, where he will bat sixth against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on June 3, as they go for a road series win.
It's his first time in the lineup since May 27, marking five games not doing so, and it's clear the Pirates need to see more of him or they'll have to move on and look for other options.
Ozuna's Struggles With the Pirates So Far
Ozuna is having the worst season of his 14-year career, slashing .186/.271/.302 for an OPS of .573 in 46 games, with 32 hits in 172 at-bats, five doubles, five home runs, 21 RBI and 18 walks to 56 strikeouts.
He has both the fifth-lowest batting average and OPS, seventh-lowest slugging percentage and the 10th-lowest on-base percentage of any qualified MLB hitter this season.
Ozuna didn't have a terrible May, slashing .219/.329/.384 for a .719 OPS, with 16 hits in 73 at-bats, three doubles, three home runs, 13 RBI and 11 walks to 27 strikeouts.
He didn't start the last few games, as Bryan Reynolds took a day off from the outfield on May 28 in the series finale vs. the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park
Shortstop Konnor Griffin started at designated hitter the first two games against the Minnesota Twins at home, as he dealt with a right elbow strain that kept him from playing in the field and eventually landed him on the 10-day injured list.
Ryan O'Hearn came off the 10-day injured list and started at designated hitter in the series finale vs. the Twins and then Spencer Horwitz made his first start at designated hitter this season in the series opener vs. the Astros on June 2.
Some of this is clearly the Pirates trying to find time for different players, but it's clear that they view many of their other hitters as better than Ozuna.
Ozuna has to start providing more power than he has done and simply just become a more productive player at the plate.
Pirates fans have shown their frustrations with him this season, including boos, and there are already players the team could consider as better designated hitter options moving forward.
This is a great game for Ozuna to prove that he deserves a spot in this talented lineup and that he can be the right-handed power bat and veteran leader that the Pirates signed him for.
Pirates Lineup Overview vs. the Astros
Player | Position | Batting Side |
|---|---|---|
Spencer Horwitz | First Base | Left |
Brandon Lowe | Second Base | Left |
Bryan Reynolds | Left Field | Switch |
Nick Gonzales | Third Base | Right |
Oneil Cruz | Center Field | Left |
Marcell Ozuna | Designated Hitter | Right |
Jhostynxon Garcia | Right Fielder | Right |
Jared Triolo | Shortstop | Right |
Henry Davis | Catcher | Right |
The Pirates face a tough challenge in Astros right-handed starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti, who is 7-1 and has a 1.34 ERA over eight starts this season.
Jhostynxon Garcia takes over in right field for Jake Mangum, where he will bat seventh, while Henry Davis comes in at catcher for Endy Rodríguez, with Pirates right-handed starting pitcher Paul Skenes making his 13th start of 2026, and bats ninth.
Horwitz moves back to first base, staying in the leadoff spot, and O'Hearn will head to the bench for the first time since coming back from injury.
Second baseman Brandon Lowe hits second, Reynolds hits third, third baseman Nick Gonzales and center field Oneil Cruz both move up one spot to fourth and fifth, respectively. Shortstop Jared Triolo moves up one spot to eighth in the batting order.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
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.