Ryan O'hearn Set for First Right-Field Start in Nearly Three Weeks

Ryan O'Hearn will make his first start in right field in almost three weeks on June 4 against the Houston Astros, a quick return to the outfield after a right quad muscle strain slowed him down. He was activated from the injured list on May 31 and has been used at designated hitter and first base since coming back.

O'Hearn's June 4 return

The Pirates have had to move O'Hearn around since his injury, and that flexibility now carries into right field with Oneil Cruz in center and Bryan Reynolds in left. O'Hearn is working to keep the assignment simple: minimize mistakes and handle the routine plays that come with the spot.

That matters because his path to this point has already been unusual for a player who entered Pittsburgh with more experience at the plate and at first base than in the outfield. Before joining the Pirates this offseason, he had started only 77 of 81 games in his eight-year MLB career.

May 16 to May 31

The turnaround began on May 16, when O'Hearn suffered the right quad muscle strain while playing first base. The next day, he went on the 10-day injured list, then returned on May 31 after the Pirates brought him back from the IL.

His return also sits in the shadow of the roster move that came a month after Pittsburgh signed Marcell Ozuna as designated hitter. Ozuna can play only designated hitter, so the Pirates have already had to use O'Hearn in multiple roles as they sort out the lineup around him.

Pirates' lineup mix

June 4 gives the Pirates another test of that mix, with O'Hearn back in right field and still carrying the workload that comes with moving between designated hitter, first base and the corner outfield. The next look at him will show whether the Pirates can keep using him there without forcing another mid-game adjustment.