Drew Maggi, One of Baseball's Best Stories, Gets Sent to Double-A
The Pittsburgh Pirates, one of the best team stories in baseball in the early going, have sent down Drew Maggi, the best individual story in baseball, to Double-A.
Maggi spent 13 years in the minor leagues and made his major league debut this year. Videos of him getting called up, arriving in Pittsburgh, getting his first at-bat, and getting his first hit, all went viral on social media.
The team has also placed pitcher Vince Velasquez on the injured list and recalled pitcher Chase De Jong from the injured list.
Maggi got six at-bats for the Pirates, going 2-6. The utility infielder also stole a base.
Over his 13 minor league seasons, he's a lifetime .254 hitter with a .349 on-base percentage.
Velasquez was put on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation. He's in his ninth major league season and has played for the Pirates, the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, and Chicago White Sox.
He is 38-50 in his career with a lifetime 4.84 ERA. This year for Pittsburgh, he's 4-3 with a 3.06 ERA.
De Jong has appeared in major league games for each of the last seven years. He made his major league debut with the Seattle Mariners in 2017 and has also pitched for the Minnesota Twins, Houston Astros, and Pittsburgh.
He had a 2.64 ERA in 42 games a season ago and is sporting a 6.53 ERA in 8.1 innings this year.
The Pirates are 20-12 and on top of the National League Central heading into a weekend series with the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto has lost five games in a row and is coming off a sweep at the hands of the Boston Red Sox.
First pitch is 6:35 p.m. ET.
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