Ryan Kreidler, a longtime infielder with the Tigers, is get his first major league shot outside of Detroit.
the Pittsburgh Pirates from Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday. He replaces Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who was taken by the Toronto Blue Jays off waivers.
Kreidler, a 2019 fourth-round selection from UCLA, spent the previous four seasons with the Tigers. A string of injuries forced the 27-year-old to start this season as Detroit’s center fielder, which was an unexpected start. In 17 games, he only managed to hit.105 (4-for-38) while striking out 19 batters and allowing no extra-base hits.
Kreidler has a.383 OPS and a.138 batting average in 211 career plate appearances. At the highest minor-league level, Triple-A, he has performed better, with a.782 OPS in over 1,000 career plate appearances.
On his monthly radio interview, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington stated, “He can play center field and is a good shortstop defender.” In the minor leagues, he has demonstrated tremendous attacking ability. That still hasn’t transferred to the major leagues. The adaptability pleased us. We believe that certain talents are present.
