While the Pittsburgh Pirates lost Spencer Horwitz, one of their best hitters this season, to a hamstring injury on June 25, rookie Esmerlyn Valdez has provided them with an instant offensive boost.
The 22-year-old rookie made his MLB debut for the Pirates on May 22 and was recalled on June 11 to provide outfield depth following an injury to Oneil Cruz.
Since Valdez was already on the Pirates roster, he was able to pinch-hit for Horwitz when he exited the game on June 25. Now he has homered in three consecutive games for the Pirates.
Since Horwitz’s injury Valdez has gained regular playing time in right field and he’s put on a dominant performance. He is one of two players (Yordan Alvarez, 2019) aged 22 or younger to crush five home runs with an OPS over 1.000 in their first 15 games in MLB.