Pirates Make First Base Change vs. Blue Jays
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates changed who will play first base once again, as they head into the final few games of Spring Training.
The Pirates will have Jared Triolo play first base against the Toronto Blue Jays at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Fla. on March 23 with first pitch set for 1:07 p.m. This marks the second to last game in the Grapefruit League for the Pirates.
In Dunedin vs. the Blue Jays.
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Triolo has played first base six times so far for the Pirates during Spring Training, second to DJ Stewart, who has played there seven times.
The Pirates have had six players at first base this Spring Training. This includes both Darrick Hall and Nick Yorke, who each played there four times, Billy Cook, who played there three times, and Adam Frazier, who played there twice.
The battle for first base is coming down to both Stewart and Triolo, as they've played there the most times.
The Pirates also recently optioned both Yorke and Cooke to Triple-A, and did so as well with Hall previously. Frazier will likely serve as an option in both the infield and potentially the outfield if needed.
Pittsburgh has looked for options at first base and originally traded with the Cleveland Guardians for Spencer Horwitz back on Dec. 10. They sent three players in return to the Guardians in right-handed pitcher Luis Ortiz and left-handed pitchers in Josh Hartle and Michael Kennedy.
Horwitz is currently out dealing with a right wrist injury and his timeline was six to eight weeks from Feb. 12, but the Pirates haven't confirmed when he'll return.
Stewart, who came to spring training as a non-roster invite for the Pirates, has impressed the franchise so far. He has slashed .256/.356/.462 for an OPS of .818, with 10 hits, five double, seven runs, five RBIs and four walks in 18 games in the Grapefruit League.
Triolo has played first base for the Pirates before, but sparingly, with nine games in 2024 and three games in 2023.
While Triolo mostly plays at third base, he also features at both shortstop and second base, sesrving as a true utility man for the Pirates.
Triolo has slashed .231/.302/.333 in 16 games for the Pirates in spring training, with nine hits, six runs, two triples, one RBI and three walks.
The Pirates will open their regular season with a road series vs. the Miami Marlins on March 27.
