Pirates Slugger Re-Enters Slump
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have had a mostly solid lineup this season, but one player hasn't lived up to expectations so far.
Designated hitter Marcell Ozuna hasn't had a great season for the Pirates and it came out in a bad way in the 9-6 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the series opener at Busch Stadium on May 19.
The Pirates loaded the bases with no outs and down 6-4 in the top of the ninth inning and Ozuna proceeded to hit a weak ground ball and hit into a double play, scoring a run, but putting his team in a bad situation.
Pinch-hitter Spencer Horwitz came through with the RBI-single to tie the game and send it into extra innings, but the Pirates could've taken the lead with the scenario they were in before the double play.
Pirates manager Don Kelly originally was thinking of Horwitz pinch-hitting for Ozuna, but went for rookie Jhostynxon Garcia instead, but that double play hurt and that they need more from Ozuna going forward.
“We had talked about it and had Spence' for Garcia there," Kelly said. "Probably the worst thing that could have happened was the double play. It happened. But Ozuna is a professional hitter. He’s had some good at-bats recently. I know the recent stretch hasn’t been as good, but we need to get him going.”
Ozuna's Struggles As of Recent
It's not been a great showing for Ozuna the past eight games, slashing .100 /.250/.233/ for an OPS of .483 with just three hits in 30 at-bats.
Ozuna actually had a strong start to the month of May, slashing .364/.462/.682 for an OPS of 1.143 in his first six games, with eight hits in 22 at-bats, a double, two home runs, six RBI and four walks to four strikeouts.
The best he's provided during his recent streak of poor hitting was his two-run home run off of Philadelphia Phillies right-handed starting Aaron Nola, which he crushed into the Pirates bullpen and right-handed relief pitcher Yohan Ramírez caught the ball in the honorary traffic cone.
Pittsburgh has also gone 3-5 during his recent poor hitting streak and his lack of production from the plate plays a role in that.
Pirates Simply Need More From Ozuna
This recent streak from Ozuna is incredibly poor from a player that signed a one-year, $12 million deal with a $16 million mutual option for the following season.
His season stats are now .179/.275/.305 for an OPS of .580 in 40 games, with 27 hits in 141 at-bats, four doubles, five home runs, 16 RBI and 18 walks to 48 strikeouts.
Ozuna has served as one of the worst hitters in baseball in 2026, with the seventh-lowest batting average, 10th-lowest OPS, 13th-lowest slugging percentage and 16th-lowest on-base percentage amongst qualified hitters.
The Pirates signed Ozuna as not only a big-time home run hitter, but also as a veteran presence in the clubhouse to lead a team to the postseason for the first time sicne 2015.
Ozuna has helped his teammates so far, but he now needs to put it together at the plate and deliver the power Pirates fans envisioned when he joined on.
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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.