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Pirates Hope They Have The Password for Loss of Ryan O'Hearn
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- Pirates Hope They Have The Password for Loss of Ryan O'Hearn
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The Pittsburgh Pirates have The Password. Now they are hopinghe can help replace some of the offense lost with one of their key hitters onthe injured list.
The Pirates recalled outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia —nicknamedThe Password for his uniquely spelled first name—from Triple-A Indianapolis onTuesday. This move followed outfielder/first baseman Ryan O'Hearn's placementon the 10-day injured list on Sunday with a strained right quad, which isexpected to sideline him through mid-June.
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O'Hearn's absence is significant; his performance has helped Pittsburgh rank seventh in the major leagues in scoring with an average of4.90 runs a game. This is a notable improvement, as the club was last in MLB inthat category in 2025 and addressed the issue in the offseason by signingO'Hearn as a free agent to a two-year, $29-million contract.
O'Hearn is hitting .289/.368/.459 with seven home runs in 44games. Pirates manager Don Kelly 's concern is that his players—and particularlyGarcia—may try too hard to compensate for O'Hearn's absence.
"It's not on any one single hitter, it's not on any one singlepitcher," Kelly told reporters. "It's a team collective. We all needto go out and do our jobs well, and keep doing so. We've talked about it a lotfrom an offensive standpoint, pass the baton. Having the lineup stack togetherthose quality at-bats. It's not on one single guy.
"Hopefully, Garcia doesn't feel that. I think when you getcalled up, you feel that pressure anyway of being up here, but I feel that'swhere that comfort level of having spring training, being around the guys, andhaving success in spring will help him relax and feel a part of it rather thanfeeling like he has to be the guy."
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Garcia got the start in right field on Tuesday night. He went1 for 4 in Pittsburgh's 9-6 loss to the Cardinals in 10 innings at BuschStadium in St. Louis .
Acquired from the Boston Red Sox in an offseason trade,23-year-old Garcia hit .205/.256/.356 with three home runs in 19 games forIndianapolis, though he was hampered by lower-back inflammation. All threehomers came in a single May 12 game against Louisville.
After making his MLB debut last season in a five-game stintwith the Red Sox, Garcia now looks poised for a longer opportunity with thePirates.
"Very excited about the opportunity and happy to behere," Garcia said. "Just take full advantage of the opportunity. Justcontinue the same work habits that I've been doing, that sort of work plan, andjust transfer that to the big leagues."
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Baseball America ranks Garcia as the Pirates' No. 4 prospect.
"He has a really exciting skill set he brings to the table,"Kelly said. "The power, he's got surprising speed, has a really good arm, andplays really good outfield defense. Excited to have him here."
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