Enmanuel

Valdez

With Nick Gonzales going down with a fractured left ankle, the Pirates had a sudden need for extra depth in the infield and that’s where Valdez comes in. He may see some action at second base against left-handed pitching, but it’s difficult to envision him carving out a large enough role to gain relevancy for fantasy purposes.

No real surprises here as Pittsburgh begins to pare down its spring training roster. Ashcraft is the most notable inclusion since he figures to be an option for the Pirates at some point later this season. Valdez could be an option at the keystone if injuries strike at the big-league level.

Valdez was DFA’d by the Red Sox last week. The 25-year-old has hit .235/.286/.400 with 12 homers in 372 plate appearances the last two seasons, and it’s easy to imagine him doing a little better than that going forward. The problem is that he’s a subpar defender at second base, and he just doesn’t project very well anywhere else. The Pirates will give him a look at second in spring training, but that still figures to be Nick Gonzales’s spot. Valdez could wind up seeing DH time if the team doesn’t acquire a full-timer for that spot.

Valdez looked like a potential impact contributor for the Red Sox during his rookie campaign back in 2023 when he posted a .764 OPS with six round-trippers across 149 plate appearances. The 25-year-old’s offensive production fell off a cliff last year and he’s always been a liability defensively. With top prospects like Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell on the doorstep of the majors it was time for the Red Sox to move on.

Valdez, who has hit .224/.282/.400 in 189 plate appearances for the Red Sox this season, will join Nick Sogard, Romy Gonzalez and Mickey Gasper in the mix at second base for now. The Red Sox might get Trevor Story back later this month, pushing Ceddanne Rafaela to second.

The reason for the decision to promote Valdez instead of Vaughn Grissom is due to the fact that Grissom needs every day at-bats so they don’t want him playing sporadically at the big-league level. Valdez has hit .224/.282/.400 with six homers and 27 RBI in 170 at-bats with the Red Sox this season.

Jarren Duran’s suspension is over, so Valdez goes to make room. He was 1-for-6 in his latest stint with the Red Sox. He’s hit .224/.282/.400 in 189 plate appearances overall this season.

With Tyler O’Neill (calf infection) unexpectedly hitting the injured list on Wednesday, Valdez will add depth to the Red Sox’ bench. The 25-year-old infielder has hit .226/.282/.402 with six homers, 26 RBI and one stolen base in 182 plate appearances with the big-league club this season.

It’s a little surprising to see Valdez head to the minors now, as he’s swung the bat well since the start of June with a slash of .290/.380/.577 in that month, and he’s 5-for-11 in his limited action in July. Regardless, he’ll return to the minors with Jamie Westbrook taking his place on the roster.

The 26-year-old speedster has seen his playing time squeezed as of late, as he hasn’t even been a regular against right-handed pitching this week. Once again, Enmanuel Valdez will start in his place at second base and will bat eighth for the Red Sox against Nestor Cortes and the Yankees on Friday night.