Jhostynxon Garcia optioned down to Indianapolis

As has been the case more often than not lately, Ozuna finds himself on the pine with an opposing right-hander on the mound. Bryan Reynolds will serve as the team’s designated hitter while Jhostynxon Garcia will start in center field and bat ninth against Rhett Lowder and the Reds.

Garcia will be right in the lineup, batting eighth and playing center field on Wednesday against the Diamondbacks. Garcia worked his way onto some top 100 prospects lists last year after a strong season in Boston’s organization, but he has struggled against right-handed pitching in the upper minors and also in his limited MLB sample, slashing .200/.259/.240 with a 30 percent strikeout rate in 27 plate appearances. The Pirates are facing Eduardo Rodriguez today and Andrew Abbott over the weekend, but this feels like a small-side platoon for “The Password.”

The 23-year-old slugger struggled in his limited action with the Pirates, hitting .200 (7-for-35) with no homers, two RBI and a 10/1 K/BB ratio in 37 plate appearances. He’ll continue to refine his craft in an everyday role at the Triple-A level. The Pirates selected the contract of Davis Wendzel from Triple-A Indianapolis in a corresponding move on Sunday.

Cruz takes a seat with Toronto lefty Patrick Corbin toeing the rubber. It’ll be intriguing prospect Jhostynxon Garcia getting a chance in center field with Nick Gonzales moving up to the leadoff spot. Cruz is hitting .303 (20-for-66) with four homers against lefties this season. However, he’s been struggling a bit of late, hitting just .242 (15-for-62) with one homer and 26 strikeouts over his last 15 games.

The Password is in right field and hitting sixth in his Pirates debut against the Cardinals on Tuesday night at Busch Stadium. The 23-year-old outfielder possesses an interesting blend of fantasy-relevant tools, but he’s probably going to strike out too much to be impactful in shallow mixed leagues. There’s enough power/speed combo intrigue to dream on, especially if he makes some strides in the plate skills department. Garcia can be left on waiver wires in shallow formats, but he’s worthy of a speculative dice roll in deeper leagues.

Garcia, better known as “The Password,” came to the Pirates in a trade this offseason from the Red Sox. He’s hitting .205/.256/.356 with three home runs and seven RBI in 19 games at Triple-A. He’s also spent time on the minor league injured list with a lower back injury. While “The Password” is a well-known prospect, he has been far better against left-handed pitching in the minor leagues, and there are some contact concerns. We’d prefer to leave him on the waiver wire while we see what role the Pirates have planned for him.

The prospect better known as “The Password” came over from Boston in the offseason in a trade for Johan Oviedo, who is also on the injured list. Garcia is also off to a poor start at Triple-A, slashing .158/.186/.175 in 59 plate appearances with a 29 percent strikeout rate. Perhaps the back injury has played a part in those struggles.

This qualifies as a bit of a surprise since Garcia was off to a sizzling-hot start this spring, batting .405 (15-for-37) with two homers and three steals in 17 games. The calculus for the Pirates likely involves having the 23-year-old corner outfielder playing regularly on the doorstop of the majors as opposed to languishing in a part-time role at the highest level. His departure means that veteran offseason acquisition Ryan O’Hearn will open the year as Pittsburgh’s starting right fielder with Marcell Ozuna at DH.

Garcia’s exceptional performance in Grapefruit League action, which includes going 2-for-4 with a two-run homer on Friday against the Tigers, seemingly cements his spot on Pittsburgh’s season-opening roster as lefty-mashing platoon outfielder. The 23-year-old top prospect, who came over from the Red Sox in an offseason trade centered around Johan Oviedo, propensity to swing-and-miss amplifies the risk immediate risk as he acclimates to facing big-league pitching but he’s capable of generating enough hard contact to make an impact in deeper fantasy formats. The Password will go undrafted in most fantasy leagues this spring but he’s a name to watch on the early-season waiver wire front.

Garcia singled in the second inning and scored as Tyler Callihan worked a bases-loaded walk. The Password then victimized Tigers’ right-hander Casey Mize for a 373-foot (108.5 mph EV) two-run blast in the third inning that extended the Pirates’ early lead to 4-0. With his two-hit attack, the 23-year-old outfielder is now hitting a blistering .500 (14-for-28) on the spring with two homers, five RBI and three stolen bases.