Ji Hwan

Bae

Bae, who was picked up on waivers from the Pirates in November, cleared it his second time around. That means he’ll stay with the Mets and get an invite to camp as a non-roster player next month. The 26-year-old Bae has hit .223/.294/.293 with 37 steals in 514 plate appearances with the Pirates since debuting in 2022.

Bae appears to fit the mold from a defensive versatility standpoint for a utility role, but he’s batted just .223/.294/.293 with two homers and 37 steals in 163 games at the big-league level since 2022. The 26-year-old former prospect, who was jettisoned from Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster earlier this week, is likely ticketed for Triple-A Syracuse as organizational depth if he makes it through the offseason on New York’s 40-man roster.

Pittsburgh’s batch of cuts eliminates a potential roster crunch at the outset of the offseason. Bae and Peguero are the prominent inclusions, but they’ve tumbled down the Pirates’ organizational depth chart over the last couple seasons and barely appeared in the big leagues this past year.

Bae started four of the Pirates’ seven games during his latest stint and went 0-for-9, though he did walk four times. He’s two years removed from his only real extensive action with the Pirates, when he hit .231/.296/.311 in 371 plate appearances as a rookie in 2023. It seems likely that he’ll be dropped from the 40-man once the season is over.

It looks to be nothing more than a routine night off for the 37-year-old outfielder. Ji Hwan Bae will start in his place in left field and will bat eighth for the Pirates against Nationals’ right-hander Brad Lord.

Bae returns to Pittsburgh’s bench for the final three weeks of the season. The versatile 26-year-old has gotten into only seven games for the Pirates this season, going 1-for-11 with two steals during that span.

The 25-year-old struggled in his limited action with the Pirates this time around, going 1-for-11 (.091) with five strikeouts and a pair of stolen bases. He’ll continue to work on his game at the Triple-A level until another opportunity emerges at the big league level.

Cruz remains out of the lineup for the fourth consecutive game due to lower back tightness. There’s been zero indication that he’s headed to the injured list, but it seems like a realistic outcome at this juncture. The 26-year-old fantasy star has eight homers and 16 steals this season through 37 games. It’ll be Ji Hwan Bae in center field on Wednesday night at Citi Field.

It’s time for fantasy managers to increase their level of concern with Cruz absent from Pittsburgh’s lineup for the third straight game due to lower back tightness. The 26-year-old power/speed combo outfielder has launched eight homers and stolen 16 bases this season through 37 games. He remains day-to-day for now. It’ll be Ji Hwan Bae patrolling center field on Tuesday night in his place.

The versatile 25-year-old will provide depth on the Pirates’ bench with Enmanuel Valdez (shoulder) heading to the injured list. Bae was hitting .258/.343/.376 with one homer, six RBI and six stolen bases in his first 105 plate appearances at Triple-A Indianapolis.