Pirates Place Reynolds, Tucker on COVID Injured List; Bring Up Suwisnki, Marcano

The Pirates have placed Bryan Reynolds and Cole Tucker on the COVID-19 injured list and have recalled outfielder Jack Suwinski and infielder/outfielder Tucupita Marcano from Double-A Altoona.

Reynolds has played in 15 of the 16 games so far for the Pirates. It’s been a slow start for the 2021 All-Star, who is hitting just .190 with a .593 OPS and a pair of home runs. Even with the disappointing start, the Bucs will miss the services of Reynolds at the plate and in centerfield.

Tucker has been used primarily in right field, with a few games combined between shortstop and second base. He’s hit .171 with a .390 OPS in 11 games to begin his 2022.

Both Suwinski and Marcano came over in last summer’s trade that sent Adam Frazier to the Padres. It will mark the MLB debut for the 23-year-old Suwinksi. The left-handed hitter has been on fire with Altoona to start his 2022 season. In 13 games, Suwinski is batting .353 with a 1.107 OPS. 11 of his 18 hits have gone for extra bases (eight doubles, three homers).

The Pirates added Suwnski to the 40-man roster this offseason as the outfielder was eligible for the Rule 5 draft, though that ultimately did not happen with the lengthy lockout.

Through 11 games with the Curve, Marcano hit .250 with a .364 on-base percentage. He homered once and swiped two bases. Marcano is versatile, having appeared at second, short, third and both corner outfield spots in his professional career.

Although he was with Altoona, Marcano has experience at both Triple-A and the Major Leagues. Marcano, 22, hit .182 with a .485 OPS in 50 plate appearances with the Padres a year ago. He doubled and recorded his first big league RBI in a game against the Pirates last April.