Pittsburgh recalled OF Starling Marte from AAA Indianapolis Wednesday afternoon, as reported by Kristy Robinson of Pirates Prospects. He will join the team in Houston on Thursday.
The recall ends months of speculation as to when the prized outfield prospect would finally be recalled. Marte is hitting .286 in AAA this season, his first stint with Indianapolis. His .348 on-base percentage will be a welcome addition to the Pirates’ leadoff spot, where current leadoff hitter Alex Presley is batting just .230 with a .270 OBP.
Marte made a push for the big-league roster in April by tearing his way through spring training, but spent the last four-plus months in AAA after the organization felt he needed to spend time facing improved pitching (a jump from AA to MLB is not part of Neal Huntington’s track record).
Reliever Evan Meek has been demoted to clear room on the roster, though one more move will have to be made to accommodate incoming starter Wandy Rodriguez. Perhaps a move to long-term DL for injured reliever Juan Cruz, or another demotion for one of the team’s young bullpen arms.
A trade for starter Kevin Correia, whose trade value must be fairly high after winning his last six decisions, may not be out of the question, either.
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