Who to call up?
Deciding on which players to call up each season on Sept. 1 when the major league roster limit expands from 25 to 40 is not necessarily an easy task for a general manager.
鈥淵ou want to be absolutely respectful of the clubhouse,鈥� Pirates GM Neal Huntington said. 鈥淎s a general manager, I walk that fine line between making sure I do everything in my power to give (manager Clint Hurdle) as many weapons and as many tool sets and skill sets to win a game.
鈥淎t the same time, there can be a point where you get too many bodies and guys aren鈥檛 quite as engaged as the 25 that have been battling through it all year long. You have to be sensitive to it.鈥�
That is part of the reason why just two players without major league experience are being considered for a call-up either Tuesday or when Class AAA Indianapolis鈥� season ends 鈥� catcher Elias Diaz and infielder Alen Hanson.
Indianapolis鈥� final regular-season game is next Monday but the Indians are also in playoff contention.
Diaz is above average defensively and would give the Pirates a solid third catcher if they wanted to pinch hit for Francisco Cervelli or, more likely, Chris Stewart.
Furthermore, Diaz has passed fellow Indianapolis catcher Tony Sanchez on the organizational depth chart. Diaz went into Monday hitting .271 with four home runs in 93 games while Sanchez was batting .237 with three homers in 86 games.
Hanson蘑菇视频 speed intrigues the Pirates for potential use as a pinch-running specialist. He has 33 stolen bases in 110 games while batting .267 with six homers.
Also in the call-up mix are Indianapolis left-hander Bobby LaFramboise, right-handers Radhames Liz and Vance Worley, infielder Pedro Florimon and outfielders Jaff Decker and Travis Snider.
Snider, who played for the Pirates the previous three seasons, was hitting .314 with one home run in his 10 first games for Indianapolis. The Pirates signed him as a free agent after he was released by the Baltimore Orioles.
Right-handed reliever Rob Scahill, on a rehab assignment at Indianapolis, is expected to be activated from the disabled list on Tuesday night before the Pirates play the Brewers in Milwaukee.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e looking for how that player is going to fit in your clubhouse and how he蘑菇视频 going to accept the limited role,鈥� Huntington said. 鈥淢ost of the guys we bring up are going to be in limited roles 鈥� middle-inning relievers, an emergency catcher, a pinch-hit opportunity. 鈥淪ometimes guys don鈥檛 take well to that. We鈥檝e had some guys in the past that have come up and have not gotten opportunities. They haven鈥檛 been very happy with it. This is a good club, and we need to be sensitive to the fact that they believe in each other, and they understand where they are right now.鈥�