Pirates Continue Showing Urgency to Win By Parting With Marcell Ozuna
The Pirates designated Marcell Ozuna for assignment on Wednesday and called up Ronny Simon to take his place.
The Pittsburgh Pirates designated Marcell Ozuna for assignment on Wednesday.
Ozuna, signed to a one-year $12 million contract prior to the season, ended up batting .203/.286/.327 with eight homers in 70 games for the Pirates. As a designated hitter, his value was completely driven by his bat, and his bat did not come close to the value you’d expect from his salary.
The Pirates will end up paying the remainder of his $10.5 million salary through the end of the season, along with his $1.5 million buyout for his 2027 option.
Ozuna was a similar story to struggling Pirates free agent hitters in recent years. The 2025 season saw Tommy Pham struggle, outside of a monster month of July. The 2024 season had the Pirates stuck with Rowdy Tellez.
A big difference this year is the Pirates moved on from their mistake. They rode with Tellez and Pham until the end of their respective seasons. The Pirates seem more aggressive in their attempts to contend this year, and that focus would mean cutting ties on the sunk cost of Ozuna and fielding the best roster possible.
The fact they didn’t hold him for the rest of the season to try and get some sort of return continues to show they’re operating differently this season.
With Ozuna gone, the Pirates have options with the designated hitter role. They currently have three catchers on the roster. They can rotate one of those catchers into the DH role, or put Endy Rodriguez at first base and give Spencer Horwitz time as the DH each week. When Oneil Cruz eventually returns, they can rotate the outfielders into the DH role, giving more time on the field to Jake Mangum.
The Pirates replaced Ozuna by calling up Ronny Simon, a 26-year-old utility player who was producing great results for Indianapolis. Simon showed off some of the best contact skills in the Pirates’ system, while adding 33 stolen bases. He spent most of his time this season across all three outfield spots.
Simon’s addition to the roster, along with Ozuna clearing up the DH spot, makes it more likely that the Pirates will be able to rotate their outfield through the designated hitter role, while still maintaining outfield bench depth.
Triple-A Shuffling
In another move, the Pirates activated left-handed reliever Evan Sisk from the injured list.
Sisk was one of the better relievers in the Pirates’ bullpen before their deadline overhaul, and he now rounds out what has turned into a contender-quality group.
To make room for Sisk, the Pirates optioned Wilber Dotel to Triple-A.
Dotel wasn’t bad in a long relief role, outside of a few appearances before going on the injured list. With the Pirates fixing their bullpen at the deadline, you have to wonder if Dotel will return to being starting pitching depth in the minors. The Pirates could use him there more than they could use him as a reliever at this point, especially with the recent season-ending injury to Mitch Keller.
In other Triple-A moves, the Pirates activated Chris Devenski from the injured list and optioned him to Triple-A. They also released outfielder P.J. Hilson.
Prospect Moves
One of the most interesting moves of the day was the assignment of third baseman Tre Phelps to Bradenton. The 2026 9th rounder becomes the first draft pick from this year’s class to make his debut, starting on Wednesday night for the Marauders. He had some interesting power numbers with Georgia this year, and is a sleeper to watch from the middle rounds. Phleps went 0-for-2 with a walk in his debut.
The Pirates activated Isaias Uribe from the 60-day injured list. The left-hander missed the entire 2024 season, missed most of 2025, and only recently returned to action with two single-inning appearances in the FCL. He was sitting 93 MPH in those appearances, touching 95 with his four-seam. Uribe threw two shutout innings for Bradenton on Wednesday night, picking up seven whiffs and three strikeouts.
Braydon Risley is a mystery. He was drafted in the 19th round by the Giants last year, put up decent numbers in Single-A this year during his pro debut, then was released at the start of July. The Pirates picked him up a week later, sent him to Bradenton for 3.1 innings, and today they skipped him over High-A to pitch in Altoona.
It’s strange the Giants released Risley so soon after having him start all year for their Single-A affiliate. He had a 24.8% strikeout rate and a 6.6% walk rate. He struck out 27.3% of batters in his brief time in Bradenton. It’s also strange that the Pirates skipped him over the High-A level. Neither team is treating him like a prospect, and instead treating him more like a filler or expendable organizational depth.
Until the next draft pick debut…
-Tim Williams