J.B.

Shuck

He’s another notable name released by the club over the past week. The 32-year-old was in Nats’ camp this spring as a two-way player, but wasn’t expected to make the Opening Day roster. He appeared in 27 games with the Pirates last year, batting .213/.339/.255 over 57 plate appearances.

Shuck, an outfielder who has spent parts of seven seasons in the majors, is trying to make the Nationals a two-way player after throwing 19 innings for the Pirates’ Triple-A club last year (3.79 ERA, 23/17 K/BB ratio). There wouldn’t seem to be any room for him on the roster if everyone is healthy, but it’d be neat to see him pull this off at age 32.

Shuck played in 27 games for the Pirates last year and registered a .595 OPS with zero homers and two RBI in 57 plate appearances. His career numbers are not much better -- he has a .610 career OPS in 461 games with the Astros, Angels, Indians, White Sox, Marlins and Pirates since 2011. One interesting angle is that Shuck is officially a two-way player under MLB’s new rules because he both played outfield and pitched in 14 games for the Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate last year. He recorded a 3.79 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 19 innings.

The 31-year-old has only pitched in mop up duty as a professional, though he did function as a two-way player in high school and at Ohio State University. Given the overall struggles of the Pirates’ bullpen, having another versatile option who could function as a reserve outfielder and out of the bullpen would be a nice asset.

The Pirates designated Shuck for assignment on May 4, and since no one claimed him, Pittsburgh is able to station the 31-year-old at Indianapolis. He’ll be organizational outfield depth in Triple-A.

Shuck struggled in his limited action with the Pirates, slashing .213/.339/.255 with no homers and two RBI in 57 plate appearances as a reserve outfielder. It’s possible that a team starved for outfield depth could come calling, but the most likely scenario is that he passes through waivers unclaimed and continues to provide outfield depth in the minor leagues.

Dickerson was held out of the Pirates’ starting lineup Wednesday due to right shoulder soreness before later entering the game as a pinch-hitter. That pinch-hitting appearance may have been a bad idea, it seems. There is no timetable for his return at this point. J.B Shuck could now be in line for regular playing time in the Pittsburgh outfield, though he’s still not fantasy-relevant.

Dickerson is listed as day-to-day for now. J.B. Shuck will start in left field and bat seventh for the Pirates against the visiting Cardinals and right-hander Miles Mikolas.

J.B. Shuck is now starting in center field and batting seventh Thursday against the Reds and right-hander Luis Castillo. Melky Cabrera, the Pirates’ right fielder, will move up to the second spot in the lineup. This is probably going to be a day-to-day situation for Marte.

Shuck is a surprise inclusion on the Pirates roster with both Lonnie Chisenhall and Jose Osuna getting hurt. The 32-year-old journeyman is a lifetime .244/.294/.316 hitter in 1,125 major league at-bats. He’ll come off the bench.