Esmerlyn Valdez Joins Pittsburgh Pirates for MLB Debut

The pittsburgh pirates promoted Esmerlyn Valdez on May 22 and optioned Billy Cook, putting the first base/outfield prospect in position for his MLB debut as soon as he gets into a game. The move gives Pittsburgh another right-handed bat while Ryan O’Hearn sits on the injured list with a quad strain.

Valdez’s Path to Pittsburgh

Valdez was already on the 40-man roster after Pittsburgh added him in November to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He signed out of the Dominican Republic for a $130,000 bonus, and the organization has tracked his power for years.

Last year, he hit 26 home runs in 529 plate appearances while splitting time between High-A and Double-A. He also drew walks in 10.6% of those trips and struck out 24.6% of the time, a combination that showed both on-base skill and swing-and-miss risk.

His 2025 line of.286/.376/.520 and 155 wRC+ helped push him up the ladder, and Baseball America had him ranked No. 11 in the system entering the year before recently moving him to No. 5. At Triple-A this year, he has logged 194 plate appearances with 10 home runs, a 17% walk rate, a 21.1% strikeout rate, a.253/.381/.506 line and a 131 wRC+.

Pittsburgh’s Batting Mix

The call-up arrives after Pittsburgh had already recalled Jhostynxon García, and it comes with the club using Spencer Horwitz at first base and Marcell Ozuna as the designated hitter most days. Valdez’s lefty numbers have also stood out, with an OPS over 1.000 against left-handers over the last two seasons.

That gives the Pirates another option in the spots opened by O’Hearn’s absence and in a lineup that began the season with Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds in two outfield spots. For Valdez, the immediate step is simple: get into a game and make the debut the Pirates have been setting up since they put him on the 40-man roster last fall.