Troy

Stokes

Stokes Jr. appeared in eight games with the Pirates before being traded to the Brewers in mid-June. He wound up spending the remainder 2021 campaign at Triple-A Nashville. The 25-year-old outfielder should be able to secure a minor-league deal this offseason.

Stokes Jr. will report to Triple-A Nashville and serve as organizational outfield depth moving forward. The Brewers are pretty familiar with the 25-year-old, who spent seven seasons in their minor-league system after being selected in the fourth round of the MLB Draft back in 2014. He hit .111/.200/.167 with one steal in eight games with the Pirates this season.

Stokes -- who was designated for assignment earlier in the week -- passed through waivers unclaimed and will continue to function as minor league outfield depth for the Pirates.

The move was made to clear a roster spot for waiver claim Ildemaro Vargas. Stokes was also designated for assignment by the Bucs back in January and will probably clear waivers again.

Stokes was 2-for-4 with a home run in limited minor-league action this season and batted .233/.341/.385 with nine home runs and 14 stolen bases over 322 at-bats in 2019 in Triple-A. The 25-year-old will take the spot of Colin Moran, who was placed on the 10-day injured list with a groin injury.

The Pirates claimed Stokes off waivers from the Tigers in January and then snuck him through waivers themselves a couple of weeks later. That makes him quite a long shot for a spot on the Pirates’ roster, but he could see outfield time later this year. Hitting for average is his big weakness; he has some power, speed and patience at the plate, but he’s batted just .238 in 164 games in Double-A and .233 in 95 games in Triple-A. It also works against him that he’s much better suited for left field than center.

Stokes cleared waivers after being designated for assignment. He’ll now be a non-roster invitee in spring training.

The Pirates needed to clear a spot on the 40-man roster following the Jameson Taillon trade. Stokes was just claimed off waivers from the Tigers a couple weeks ago and will now go through the process again.

Stokes, a former Brewers prospect, never got a chance with the Tigers after suffering a broken hamate bone last year. He has some pop and draws walks, but hitting for average has always been a major issue for him in the minors. If he eventually sticks in the majors, it will likely be as a reserve outfielder and platoon option against lefties. Most likely, he’ll open this year in Triple-A.

The move clears out a roster spot for Robbie Grossman, whose two-year, $10 million free agent agreement with the Tigers is now official. Stokes will turn 25 years old in February and has yet to reach the majors, though he might have gotten there in 2020 if not for a late-June fracture to his hamate bone. He slashed .233/.341/.385 with nine home runs and 14 stolen bases in 95 games at the Triple-A level in 2019.