BRADENTON, Fla. — The Pirates on Saturday optioned outfielder Jordan Luplow and catcher Jacob Stallings to Class AAA Indianapolis and reassigned right-handers Tyler Jones and Richard Rodriguez to minor league camp.
Of this group, Luplow, who made his big league debut last season, had the best chance to crack the major league roster again. In 78 MLB at-bats, he slashed .205/.276/.385.
At the beginning of camp, before the Pirates acquired Corey Dickerson, they planned to play Luplow in left field, along with Sean Rodriguez, Adam Frazier and Daniel Nava, who is recovering from back surgery.
Now, Dickerson has the starting job in left, and Luplow was fighting for a fifth bench spot that the team has not even committed to.