Pirates place OF Jake Marisnick on IL with injured thumb, recall RHP Max Kranick

The Pirates placed outfielder Jake Marisnick, who injured his left thumb after crashing into the wall while making a catch in Monday night’s game against the Dodgers, has been placed on the 10-day IL, the team announced. He’ll be replaced on the active roster by right-hander Max Kranick.

A veteran of 10 big-league seasons, Marisnick signed an MLB deal with the Pirates this offseason to serve as the team’s fourth outfielder. In the early going Marisnick has looked no closer to replicating his career offensive performance from 2017 in Houston, slashing .163/.196/.204 (18 OPS+) through his first 22 games.

While even modest offensive production would be nice from the longtime outfielder, he has certainly lived up to his defensive reputation thus far, racking up three defensive runs saved in the early going. This feat is all the more impressive considering Marisnick has primarily played out of his customary center field position in deference to Bryan Reynolds.

In Kranick, the Pirates are calling up a 24-year-old pitcher who had trouble keeping runs off the board through nine starts last season. Aside from last year’s freshman struggles, however, the right-hander has generally proven a steady source of solid innings in the minors. Through four appearances and nearly nine innings of work in the Pirates’ system this year, Kranick has yielded just three runs and less than a baserunner per inning. He’ll serve as an extra source of bulk innings out of the Pirates bullpen for the time being.