The Pittsburgh Pirates’ opening day roster is starting to become clearer. Infielder Liover Peguero and left-handed reliever Jose Hernandez have been optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis, leaving the Pirates with 41 players remaining in big-league camp.
Peguero, who was in competition for the starting second base job, had a decent spring showing. In 12 games, he slashed .269/.345/.423 with a double, a home run and three RBIs.
The 23-year-old received his first extended look in the big leagues last season with the Pirates. While he was inconsistent at times, he showed flashes of the tools that make him an intriguing option. In 59 games in 2023, Peguero hit .237 with a .653 OPS. He connected on seven homers, drove in 23 runs and swiped six bases.
Since Nick Gonzales was optioned to Indianapolis on Thursday, Jared Triolo is the clear favorite to serve as the primary second baseman for the Pirates when they break camp.
Hernandez battled some control issues this spring but was effective in run prevention. The left-hander made six appearances in the Grapefruit League and allowed a single run. He held opponents to three hits, walked six and struck out nine.
The Pirates selected Hernandez in the Rule 5 draft last offseason and the 26-year-old made his major-league debut last year. In 50 games with Pittsburgh, Hernandez finished 1-3 with a 4.97 ERA and struck out 62 batters in 50.2 innings pitched.
The Pirates still have a number of guys fighting for several bullpen spots behind the likes of David Bednar, Aroldis Chapman, Colin Holderman, Carmen Mlodzinski and Ryan Borucki.
There are three spring training games remaining before opening day against the Marlins in Miami on Thursday.
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