Pirates outright first baseman Will Craig

Pirates first baseman Will Craig has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was among those to report. Craig was outrighted in the past, meaning he could have rejected the assignment, but he’ll stick with the organization.

Craig, now 26 years old, has been a member of the Pirates since they drafted him with the 22nd overall pick in 2016. He remained a prospect of note for a few years after, as Baseball America placed him anywhere from ninth to 24th in the Pirates’ system from his draft year through 2020.

Dating back to the beginning of his professional career, Craig has hit .258/.349/.415 with 54 home runs in 1,950 minor league plate appearances. That includes 585 trips to the plate in Triple-A, where Craig has batted .248/.323/.446 with 26 long balls. 

Conversely, Craig hasn’t racked up much major league action, having collected 69 PA (including 65 this season) and posted an underwhelming .203/.261/.281 with a single home run. The Pirates designated him a week after he made a rather baffling and now-infamous defensive mistake against the Cubs.