Pirates' Meadows survives roster crunch after Marte return
The Pittsburgh Pirates activated Starling Marte from the disabled list ahead of Saturday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals, and the club will now roll with a four-man outfield.
In a corresponding move, Pittsburgh optioned first baseman Jose Osuna, meaning 23-year-old prospect Austin Meadows survived the roster crunch.
The Pirates plan to rotate outfield duties between Marte, Corey Dickerson, and Gregory Polanco, with Meadows playing all three positions, according to Adam Berry of MLB.com. However, Meadows is not in Saturday's lineup.
Also, Polanco has been dropped to seventh in the lineup with Cervelli batting second. Busy day, friends. pic.twitter.com/z0H36viQdO
— Adam Berry (@adamdberry) May 26, 2018
In his first seven big-league games since earning a promotion in mid-May, Meadows has gone 13-for-29, posting an impressive .448 on-base percentage and .897 slugging with three home runs and two stolen bases.
By FanGraphs' WAR, Meadows has already been the third-most valuable Pirates outfielder, despite spending the first month and a half in the minors.