Pirates announce series of roster moves, Ke’Bryan Hayes placed on 10-day IL, Billy McKinney gets MLB opportunity

Per a team announcement

3B Ke’Bryan Hayes has been placed on the 10-day IL with lower back inflammation, RHP Hunter Stratton has been recalled from AAA Indianapolis, OF Joshua Palacios’s rehab assignment (hamstring) ended and he has been optioned back to AAA and OF Billy McKinney has been added to the 40-man roster and has had his contract selected from AAA Indianapolis. To make room on the 40-man roster RHP Ryder Ryan has been designated for assignment.

For Hayes, it marks the latest IL stint and his second this year, for chronic back problems that have plagued him for several seasons. He’s been one of the least productive hitters in baseball this season, his .573 OPS ranks worst among all qualified hitters in baseball. It’s hard to imagine that his back hasn’t at least contributed to his underperformance after going into the year hopeful to replicate his final two months of 2023 where he hit .299/.335/.539 with 27 extra base hits over his last 49 games. Instead, he’s followed that up by hitting just .233/.283/.290 with a measly 13 extra base hits in 96 contests this year. With only the equally woeful Jared Triolo (.568 OPS) to relieve him, it has left the Pirates near dead last in production from the hot corner with a team wRC+ of 58 from the position, ahead of only the historically terrible Chicago White Sox (54).

Hunter Stratton makes his return after being optioned to AAA on August 9th, in 36.2 innings of MLB work this season Stratton has a 3.68 ERA. Batters are hitting just .100 off his slider, and it has a whiff rate of 44.1 percent making it by far his best offering.

Joshua Palacios was placed on the IL with a hamstring injury on July 31st, in 20 games with the MLB club this season he did hit two homeruns and draw seven walks, putting together some good at bats but it amounted to just a .663 OPS.

Billy McKinney was previously on the taxi squad during the Houston series where Palacios was hurt, but ultimately never found his way onto the roster this year until now. When he makes his Pittsburgh Pirates debut tonight it will be the seventh Major League team McKinney has played for since his rookie year in 2018. In 311 career MLB games the 29-year-old has hit .209/.284/.390 with 34 home runs. Last year he had a 99 wRC+ in 48 games for the New York Yankees. He was hitting .295/.396/.450 in 40 games this season for AAA Indianapolis. He’ll bat seventh and play right field tonight in Arlington.

Ryder Ryan is DFA’d for the second time this season after the team has exhausted the number of times (five total) a player with options remaining can be optioned. Ryan had a 5.66 ERA over 20.2 innings of work.