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The Pirates placed Valdez on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a strained left hamstring.
Valdez made an early exit from Friday's contest after injuring himself while running out of the batter's box, and he'll now officially remain out of action until at least Sept. 23. Jake Mangum is set to start in right field Saturday against the Cubs and could see regular playing time until Valdez returns. Meanwhile, Ronny Simon will come up from Triple-A to replenish Pittsburgh's outfield depth.
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Pirates' Esmerlyn Valdez: Sitting out Saturday
Rotowire
Valdez (hamstring) isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Cubs.
The Pirates have yet to provide an update on Valdez's status after he exited Friday's game with a left hamstring injury, though he will need at least one day off to recover. Jake Mangum will start in right field Saturday and could continue to do so if Valdez needs to spend time on the IL.
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Pirates' Esmerlyn Valdez: Leaves game with hamstring injury
Rotowire
Valdez was removed from Friday's contest against the Cubs with left hamstring discomfort, Aiden Stepansky of MLB.com reports.
Valdez grounded out to shortstop in the top of the sixth inning and almost immediately came up limping after exiting the batter's box. The Pirates could have more information on his status after the game, but it's an injury that could end the rookie's season. Valdez was 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts in the game before exiting.
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Pirates' Esmerlyn Valdez: On bench Thursday
Rotowire
Valdez isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the White Sox.
Valdez will get a chance to rest his legs Thursday after going 2-for-6 with a homer, two RBI and two runs scored over the first two games of the series. While he sits, Bryan Reynolds, Oneil Cruz and Jake Mangum will start across the outfield.
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Pirates' Esmerlyn Valdez: Homer in win
Rotowire
Valdez went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in the win Wednesday against the White Sox.
The rookie outfielder got the start in right field but got pulled for pinch runner Billy Cook in the seventh. Valdez kicked off the scoring with a long ball off Davis Martin in the fifth to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead that they never looked back on. The 22-year-old has not hit well in his last 30 games, batting .178 with three homers and 11 RBI and a 40 percent strikeout rate in 101 at-bats, though he still has an .865 OPS for the season thanks to his power binge earlier in the summer.
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Pirates' Esmerlyn Valdez: Sitting again Friday
Rotowire
Valdez is not in the Pirates' starting lineup against the Angels on Friday.
Valdez is out of the lineup for a second consecutive game, with Jake Mangum, Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds starting in the outfield from left to right. Valdez has gone 6-for-37 (.162) with two home runs, four RBI and a 5:21 BB:K over his last 10 outings.
Valdez is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game against the Giants.
After going 1-for-9 with six strikeouts in the first two games of the series, Valdez will take a seat in Thursday's finale. Bryan Reynolds has shifted over to right field, and Jake Mangum will cover left field for the Pirates.
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Pirates' Esmerlyn Valdez: Homers in Sunday's win
Rotowire
Valdez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Cardinals.
Valdez had gone just 4-for-29 (.138) with a 4:17 BB:K over his last eight games. He has homered twice over his last four contests, but his overall consistency at the plate is still a work in progress. The outfielder is batting .244 with an .890 OPS, 16 homers, 44 RBI, 37 runs scored, 13 doubles, one triple and no stolen bases over 65 games this season, though his 37.5 percent strikeout rate is a major limiting factor.
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Pirates' Esmerlyn Valdez: Getting rest Saturday
Rotowire
Valdez isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Cardinals.
Valdez will get a day off after going 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts during the series opener Friday. His absence will allow Jake Mangum to start in right field while batting sixth.
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Pirates' Esmerlyn Valdez: Sitting Friday
Rotowire
Valdez is not in the Pirates' starting lineup against the Dodgers on Friday.
Valdez will take a seat following a three-game stretch in which he went 0-for-12 with eight strikeouts, one walk and one run scored. Jake Mangum will start in right field and bat eighth in Friday's series opener.
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Pirates' Esmerlyn Valdez: Getting back on track
Rotowire
Valdez went 1-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored Friday against the Red Sox.
Valdez has been in a significant slump for much of August, but he has started to turn things around in his last few starts. Across the last four games, he's gone 5-for-15 with three RBI, three runs scored and a double. While a limited sample, Valdez has also encouragingly struck out only 18.8 percent of the time in that span.
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Pirates' Esmerlyn Valdez: Day off amidst slump
Rotowire
Valdez is not in the lineup for Thursday's game in Milwaukee.
Valdez has really been fighting it at the plate lately. He's 0-for-13 with 11 strikeouts so far in August, and over his last 15 contests is just 5-for-45 with 35.5 percent strikeout rate. He will get a day Thursday to regroup while Ronny Simon fills in in right field for the Pirates.
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Pirates' Esmerlyn Valdez: Good to go Tuesday
Rotowire
Valdez (hand) will be in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Jason Mackey of MLB.com reports.
Valdez exited Monday's series opener after being struck on the left hand by a pitch, but he won't end up missing a start after he underwent medical testing and was diagnosed with a bruise. The 22-year-old is in a bit of a slump, having gone 3-for-16 with six walks and eight strikeouts over his past six games, but he's been a force at the plate overall in July with a 1.043 OPS through 21 contests.
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Pirates' Esmerlyn Valdez: Avoids fracture
Rotowire
Valdez was diagnosed with a bruised left hand after medical testing Tuesday showed no fractures, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.
After being hit by a pitch on the left hand Monday against the Diamondbacks, the 22-year-old underwent a "battery" of tests Tuesday and appears to have avoided a serious injury. Valdez should be considered day-to-day, though it's unclear if he'll be able to rejoin the lineup for Tuesday's contest.
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Pirates' Esmerlyn Valdez: Set for imaging Tuesday
Rotowire
Valdez is expected to undergo additional imaging on his left hand Tuesday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Valdez went 0-for-1 before leaving Monday's 3-2 win over Arizona after being hit by a pitch in the fourth inning, and the Pirates didn't provide many details on the extent of his injury following his departure. He was presumably sent in for X-rays immediately after exiting, though the club evidently wants to send him for additional scans Tuesday. Valdez can be considered day-to-day until more information comes to light.
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Pirates' Esmerlyn Valdez: Exits game after HBP
Rotowire
Valdez was removed during the fourth inning of Monday's game against the Diamondbacks after he was hit by a pitch on his left hand, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.
Valdez was plunked by a 91 mph fastball from Merrill Kelly in the fourth frame and was in visible pain. Valdez walked off the field with trainers, and the Pirates should have an update on his injury once he undergoes further tests. He was replaced by Jared Triolo, who has taken over at shorstop with Jacob Gonzalez moving to first base and Tyler Callihan shifting to right field.
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Pirates' Esmerlyn Valdez: Smacks 14th homer
Rotowire
Valdez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk, two runs scored and two RBI on Sunday against the Cubs.
Valdez continued to power the Pirates' offense, first delivering a solo home run in the second inning and then an RBI single three frames later. He continues to have an extreme boom-or-bust profile, as he's struck out at a 38.9 percent clip since the start of July. On the other hand, he has eight home runs, 24 RBI and 16 runs scored across 20 games in that span.
Valdez went 1-for-3 with a home run, two walks and two RBI in Sunday's 7-1 win over the Guardians.
Valdez had a classic three-true-outcomes game, walking twice and striking out twice before launching a two-run shot in the ninth inning. The 22-year-old is now riding a seven-game hitting streak, going deep six times with 15 RBI and eight runs scored during that span. He's slashing a ridiculous .305/.373/.733 with 12 homers, 32 RBI and 23 runs scored across his first 118 major-league plate appearances.
