Pirates Designate Struggling Veteran to Make Room for Recent Trade Acquisition

The Pittsburgh Pirates began their week with a roster shake-up by acquiring infielder Yu Chang from the Cleveland Guardians for cash considerations. With the club needing to make room for its new player, an underperforming veteran has been designated for assignment.

Infielder Cole Tucker has been sent down to the minors as he continues to struggle throughout the 2022 MLB season. Chang may not be a massive upgrade over the 25-year-old, but there's no doubt that some Pirates fans are thrilled that Tucker is gone for the time being.

Pittsburgh Pirates Roster News

A former first-round pick in 2014, Tucker hasn't lived up to the hype that comes with his draft placement. That became increasingly clear this season, where he's recorded only two RBIs without a home run while batting .175 in 63 at-bats. His 39.7% strikeout percentage is nearly 15% worse than it was in 2021 (25.2%).

Anyone hoping that a trip to the minors will help him shouldn't hold their breath. He's slashing .135/.238/.162 in 37 ABs with Triple-A Indianapolis and doesn't have a home run there either.

Meanwhile, Chang brings 131 games of MLB experience over the last four seasons with him. He had nine HRs and 39 RBIs in 89 games with the Guardians in 2021 but is without a hit and seven strikeouts in four games this season. Pirates management hopes that a change in scenery could help him return to last year's numbers.

Pirates World Series Odds

While Chang could eventually become a significant upgrade over Tucker, he won't make much of an impact on Pittsburgh's championship odds. The Pirates are currently tied for the fourth-worst 2022 World Series odds (+75000), according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.