The Pirates recalled Valdez from Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday.
Valdez went 2-for-16 with a pair of home runs during an earlier stint in the big leagues this season. The Pirates could give Valdez regular chances in the outfield while they deal with the fallout of the Oneil Cruz's absence due to a hand injury. Valdez, 22, has slashed .255/.388/.526 with 13 home runs across 237 plate appearances with Indianapolis this season.
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Pirates' Esmerlyn Valdez: Demoted to Indianapolis
Rotowire
The Pirates optioned Valdez to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday.
Valdez appeared in five games for the Pirates during his first career stint in the majors, going 2-for-16 with a pair of homers, five total RBI and nine strikeouts. Pittsburgh presumably wasn't satisfied with the 22-year-old's poor strikeout rate, so he'll return to Triple-A while the team brings up utility man Tyler Callihan to fill the open spot on the bench.
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Pirates' Esmerlyn Valdez: Hitting seventh in MLB debut
Rotowire
Valdez will start in right field and bat seventh Friday in Toronto in his major-league debut.
Valdez received his first big-league promotion after slashing .253/.381/.506 with 10 homers in 46 games with Triple-A Indianapolis this season. The 22-year-old is not guaranteed everyday playing time with the Pirates, so it would behoove him to get off to a good start.
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Pirates' Esmerlyn Valdez: Dismissed from big-league camp
Rotowire
The Pirates optioned Valdez to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday.
Valdez was one of eight players dismissed from big-league camp in the Pirates' latest round of roster cuts. The Pirates added the 22-year-old corner outfielder to the 40-man roster over the winter after he slashed .286/.376/.520 with 26 home runs across 528 plate appearances between High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona in 2025.
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Pirates' Esmerlyn Valdez: Added to 40-man
Rotowire
The Pirates selected Valdez's contract from Double-A Altoona on Tuesday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.
Valdez split his time between High-A and Double-A ball in 2025, slashing .284/.375/.521 with 27 homers, 87 RBI and 76 runs scored between the two levels. His impressive performance will grant him a place on Pittsburgh's 40-man roster heading into the 2026 campaign, but he's likely to begin the year at Double-A Altoona or Triple-A Indianapolis.
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Pirates' Esmerlyn Valdez: Bumped to Double-A
Rotowire
Valdez is batting .182 with zero home runs and an 8:4 K:BB in 10 games since getting promoted from High-A Greensboro to Double-A Altoona on July 1.
A righty-hitting corner bat who won't offer much defensive value, Valdez slashed .303/.385/.592 with 20 home runs, a 9.9 percent walk rate and a 24.5 percent strikeout rate in 72 games at High-A prior to his promotion. His 172 wRC+ ranks second among all qualified High-A hitters, behind Josue Briceno (180 wRC+). As a 21-year-old bat-first player, Valdez will be expected to do plenty of damage at Double-A over the rest of the season.
