Pirates Place Bryan Reynolds on Bereavement List, Recall Ji Hwan Bae in Slew of Roster Moves

The Pittsburgh Pirates placed All-Star outfielder Bryan Reynolds on the bereavement list on Thursday. Reynolds will miss a minimum of two games with his first chance to return being Sunday.

To fill in for him on the active roster, the Pirates have recalled Ji Hwan Bae from Triple-A Indianapolis. The Pirates added Bae to the taxi squad on Thursday.

Reynolds has been far and away the most impactful player in the Pirates lineup this season. Reynolds leads the team with a .288/.353/.485 slash in addition to leading in home runs (18) and RBIs (61). The 29-year-old was named to his second All-Star team this season and went 1 for 2 in the Midsummer Classic last week.

Reynolds started in the first 101 games for the Pirates this season before he was scratched from the lineup prior to the start of Wednesday’s game with what the team said was due to back spasms.

Bae joins the Pirates on a hot stretch with Indianapolis in July. In 13 games on the month, Bae hit .373 with a .910 OPS, two doubles, a triple, one homer, nine RBIs and four stolen bases. On the year in Triple-A, Bae is hitting an astonishing .355 with a .942 OPS.

The 24-year-old has appeared in eight games with the Pirates this season and went 5 for 24 with five runs scored, two RBIs and two steals. Last season with the Pirates, Bae hit .231 with a .608 OPS and 24 stolen bases in 111 games.

In addition to Bae, the Pirates still have Jack Suwinski, Michael A. Taylor, Joshua Palacios and Connor Joe as other outfield options until Reynolds rejoins the team.

Additionally, the Pirates activated right-handed pitcher Hunter Stratton from the 15-day injured list. To make room for him on the roster, left-hander Josh Fleming was designated for assignment.

Stratton had been on the injured list since June 14 with a right triceps strain. In 29 relief appearances with the Pirates this season, Stratton is 2-1 with a 4.29 ERA and one save.

This is the second time this season Fleming has been designated by the Pirates. Across two stints with Pittsburgh, he posted a 1-1 record with a 4.02 ERA in 25 appearances/three starts.