Enmanuel

Valdez

Valdez passed through waivers unclaimed and will remain with the Pirates as organizational depth. The 27-year-old infielder was removed from Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster to make room for top prospect Konnor Griffin last Friday. He’ll be featured in a trivia question someday if Griffin lives up to his astronomical potential.

The Pirates needed a spot on the 40-man roster to call up top prospect Konnor Griffin, so Valdez was let go. He will likely clear waivers and has the opportunity to remain in the Pirates organization.

Valdez was trying to win a backup infielder job in spring training, but went just 2-for-26 in 12 games. He will head to Triple-A and play some games at 1B and 2B to keep himself in the team’s mind as a potential backup should injuries crop up.

Valdez’s slam, which came with his team down 5-2, came off former Yankees reliever Jimmy Cordero, so that’s extra fun. It was Valdez’s first hit in six at-bats since he joined Estrellas. The infielder is coming off shoulder surgery that ended his 2025 season in May. He’ll have to battle for a spot on Pittsburgh’s roster in the spring.

Quite the bummer for Valdez, who was performing well when he hurt his shoulder on a slide into third on April 19. He played through the injury initially, but he went on the IL two weeks ago with shoulder inflammation. The Pirates didn’t announce what today’s surgery discovered. A 26-year-old with a career 86 OPS+ in 156 games, Valdez will probably be bumped from the Pirates roster and made a free agent this winter.

Valdez is now off the 40-man roster, and the Pirates used that room to claim Michael Helman off waivers from the Cardinals. Valdez has a left shoulder impingement and now won’t be eligible to rejoin Pittsburgh until the early portion of July.

It’s unclear when exactly the 26-year-old sustained the injury or how long he may be shelved for. Ji Hwan Bae was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis to take his place on the Pirates’ active roster on Friday.

Valdez had a nice first three weeks for the Pirates, but he’s cooled off considerably, leaving him at .209/.294/.363 overall. While that’s still a little better than the Pirates’ .219/.300/.325 line as a team, it probably ensures that he’ll be sent down once Spencer Horwitz is activated from the injured list.

Valdez has done nothing but hit since the Pirates brought him up back in late March, slashing .239 (11-for-46) with six extra-base hits and nine RBI in 16 contests. There’s some sneaky fantasy appeal here for managers in NL-only formats, especially if Pittsburgh can hide his defensive issues at the cold corner. It’ll be Jared Triolo at first base on Sunday afternoon in his place.

Valdez’s first homer as a Pirate came off Jakob Junis. He’s batting .233/.327/.442 in 49 plate appearances as the replacement for Nick Gonzales on Pittsburgh’s roster. He’s due to cease being a fit once Spencer Horwitz is activated from the injured list, but given the Pirates’ offensive struggles, the team will have to keep him if he keeps hitting.