Edward

Olivares

Olivares was a fantasy darling at one point during his time with the Royals, but he was let go by the Pirates in 2024 and was unable to win a spot with the Mets in 2025. He went over to Japan, where he hit .213/.327/.301 with two home runs in 61 games. He would be a long shot to make the Rays.

Olivares was officially released by the Mets earlier this week to pursue the overseas opportunity after signing a minor league contract last month with New York. The 28-year-old struggled to a .624 OPS with five homers and one steal in 55 games last year for the Pirates. He’ll attempt to turn his career around and rebuild his long-term value over in

The 28-year-old outfielder struggled in 55 games with the Pirates during the 2024 season, slashing just .224/.291/.333 with five homers, 23 RBI and a 37/16 K/BB ratio over 196 plate appearances. He has strong tools though and has shown plenty of potential at the plate throughout parts of five seasons in the big leagues, making him a terrific depth signing for the Mets.

Olivares went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment last week and will presumably stick around with the Pirates back at Triple-A as emergency depth. The 28-year-old outfielder batted just .224/.291/.333 with five homers, 23 RBI and one steal in 196 plate appearances over 55 games this season for Pittsburgh.

Olivares was optioned to the minors back in early July after slashing .224/.291/.333 with five homers, 23 RBI and one steal in 196 plate appearances over 55 games this season in his Pirates debut. The 28-year-old outfielder got off to a hot start, but went ice-cold for a few months before Pittsburgh decided to move on completely.

Olivares is down to create room on the active roster for Quinn Priester after Priester came off the injured list with a lat injury. The 28-year-old has been a platoon bat for the Bucs in the first half of 2024, and he likely will be back in the coming weeks to play a similar role.

It was a surprise to see Olivares’s name on the NL All-Star ballot today, considering that the Pirates have steadfastly refused to start him against righties. However, the team went with Connor Joe at first base, which meant that two of fellow part-timer Michael A. Taylor and the newly recalled Jack Suwinski had to occupy two outfield slots alongside Bryan Reynolds. Suwinski was left off, even though the smart money says he’ll get more playing time than and outproduce Olivares and Taylor the rest of the way. Olivares is hitting .240/.304/.397 in 135 plate appearances.

Olivares draws the start as the Braves will send left-hander Ray Kerr to the mound on Friday. Olivares has shown a good amount of power against left-handed pitching this season with four home runs in 49 at-bats against southpaws.

The Pirates opted to sit Jack Suwinski against a lefty but instead of playing either Michael A. Taylor or Edward Olivares in the outfield, they decided to let Connor Joe play the outfield and put Tellez at first. Both Olivares and Taylor played on Wednesday night against a left-handed starter, so it’s possible that the team decided to give them a day off, but it’s telling that the club would rather have Tellez play against a lefty than Suwinski or have either of those outfielders play two days in a row. Tellez is hitting just .181/.250/.233 on the season and is not a recommended play in any fantasy leagues.

Olivares is a platoon player and made the most of his opportunity with a double and a home run against Cubs left-hander Justin Steele. The home run was his fifth of the season. Olivares was replaced by Rowdy Tellez once the left-handed pitcher was removed from the game.