Rangers Claim Pirates Outfielder Off Waivers

PITTSBURGH — A Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder is headed to another MLB team after a short time with the franchise.

The Texas Rangers claimed Michael Helman off of waivers from the Pirates and then optioned him to Triple-A Round Rock, according to the transactions page.

The Pirates claimed Helman off of waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals on May 14 and placed him on the 40-man roster, after they transferred infielder Enmanuel Valdez to the 60-day Injured List and then optioned Helman to Triple-A Indianapolis on May 15.

Pittsburgh added Nick Solak to the 40-man roster, which saw them designate infielder/outfielder Helman for assignment on May 17.

Helman hails from Lincoln, Neb. and played basketball and baseball for Pius X High School there. He then attended Hutchinson Community College, playing baseball at the junior college level in both 2016 and 2017, hitting .487 as a sophomore with 17 home runs, 73 RBIs and 111 hits, earning National Junior College Player of the Year honors.

He then transferred to Texas A&M for the 2018 season, where he started 62 games and slashed .369/.451/.526 for a .977 OPS, with 92 hits, 17 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 36 RBIs, 28 walks to 31 strikeouts and 12 stolen bases.

The Minnesota Twins selected Helman in the 11th round of the 2018 MLB Draft, where he spent six seasons making his way up through the minor leagues.

He made it up to Double-A Wichita and Triple-A Saint Paul in 2022, but injury halted his progress in 2023, making him wait until 2024 to make his MLB debut. He would make the 40-man roster on Sept. 1 and had three hits in 10 at-bats.

The Twins traded him to the Cardinals on Feb. 6 in exchange for cash considerations and they optioned him to Triple-A Memphis to begin 2025.

Helman struggled in 18 games with Memphis, slashing .185/.260/.292 for an OPS of .553, with 12 hits in 65 at-bats, four doubles, one home run, five RBIs and six walks to 16 strikeouts.

The Pirates currently have outfielders on the 40-man roster, including Alexander Canario, Oneil Cruz, Andrew McCutchen, Tommy Pham, Bryan Reynolds and Solak, while Ji Hwan Bae and Jack Suwinski are currently with Indianapolis.