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Pirates' Marcell Ozuna: Sliding back to bench Monday
Rotowire
Ozuna is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Nationals.
After a recent two-game benching, Ozuna returned to the starting nine for all three contests of the Pirates' series versus the Cubs over the weekend but went just 1-for-12 with a walk and four strikeouts. Now sitting on a lowly .070/.167/.070 slash line over 48 plate appearances on the season, Ozuna could be in line for a part-time role at designated hitter until he turns a corner at the dish.
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Pirates' Marcell Ozuna: On bench again Wednesday
Rotowire
Ozuna is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres.
For the third time in four games, Ozuna will hit the bench after getting off to a porous start to the season. Over 35 plate appearances, the veteran slugger is slashing just .065/.171/.065. Ozuna is still walking at a 11.4 percent clip, and his strikeout rate sits at a manageable 22.9 percent, so he'll have some hope for a turnaround if he can benefit from some better luck on balls in play.
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Pirates' Marcell Ozuna: On bench again Tuesday
Rotowire
Ozuna is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Padres.
Ozuna went 0-for-4 in Monday's series opener, dropping his season slash line down to .065/.171/.065 through 35 plate appearances. Brandon Lowe is resting his legs as the designated hitter Tuesday, opening up second base for Nick Gonzales.
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Pirates' Marcell Ozuna: Sitting amid slump
Rotowire
Ozuna is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles
Ozuna went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts in Saturday's contest to break a four-game hitless streak, but he'll take a seat for Sunday's series finale versus Baltimore. Bryan Reynolds will rest his legs as the designated hitter, opening up a spot in the outfield for Jake Mangum.
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Pirates' Marcell Ozuna: Receiving breather Sunday
Rotowire
Ozuna is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets.
The veteran slugger will receive the afternoon off after he started the Pirates' first two games of the season and went 1-for-9 with a walk. With Ozuna on the bench, Bryan Reynolds will cede left field to Jake Mangum and shift to designated hitter.
Pirates' Marcell Ozuna: Lands $12 million deal with Pirates
Rotowire
The Pirates signed Ozuna to a one-year, $10.5 million contract Monday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports. The deal includes a $16 million mutual option or $1.5 million buyout for 2027.
Ozuna produced a disappointing .232/.355/.400 batting line with 21 home runs over 145 games for Atlanta in 2025. However, a nagging hip injury was likely at least partly to blame, and he is just a year removed from a 39-homer season. Ozuna will slide into the designated hitter role in Pittsburgh, likely pushing Ryan O'Hearn to left field and Jake Mangum to a fourth outfielder role.
Ozuna went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a pair of walks in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Nationals.
Ozuna cut Atlanta's deficit to 4-2 in the eighth inning with a 404-foot blast off Jackson Rutledge. It was Ozuna's 21st homer of the year and his first in 33 games. It's been a disappointing year overall for the 34-year-old Ozuna, though he's swung the bat better of late, going 13-for-42 (.310) with an .884 OPS in his last 12 contests.
Ozuna isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Detroit.
Ozuna will retreat to the dugout Saturday after going 0-for-4 with a strikeout in Friday's series opener. Drake Baldwin will replace him as Atlanta's designated hitter, allowing Sandy Leon to start at catcher.
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