Polanco signed a contract Monday with the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.
Polanco, 31, played his first season overseas in 2022 with the Yomiuri Giants, batting .240/.306/.457 with 24 home runs over 138 games. We last saw him in the majors in 2021, when he posted a .637 OPS with the Pirates.
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Gregory Polanco: Heading overseas
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Polanco signed a contract Wednesday with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.
After beginning his time in affiliated ball as a highly touted prospect for the Pirates, Polanco was rewarded with a five-year, $35 million contract extension in the spring of 2016, following a productive first two seasons in the big leagues. Polanco made good on the first three years of the extension with a .255/.324/.455 slash line (105 wRC+), but his production dipped considerably in the two-plus years that followed before Pittsburgh released him in August. Polanco finished the 2021 campaign in the Blue Jays organization after agreeing to a minor-league deal, but after hitting free agency during the offseason, he wasn't able to land an MLB contract before the lockout began Dec. 1. He'll now head overseas in an attempt to revive his career with the hope of generating renewed interest stateside heading into 2022; however, now that Polanco is on the wrong side of 30, it's possible he's made his last MLB appearance.
Blue Jays' Gregory Polanco: Joins Toronto on MiLB deal
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Polanco signed a minor-league contract with the Blue Jays on Tuesday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
Polanco was let go by the Pirates over the weekend and didn't take long to latch on with a new team. The 29-year-old struggled in 107 games this season, hitting .208/.283/.354 with 11 home runs, 36 RBI, 38 runs and 14 stolen bases, and he's failed to provide much production since posting an .839 OPS with 23 homers and 81 RBI in 2018. The Blue Jays have plenty of outfield depth, so Polanco is unlikely to see much in terms of big-league opportunities -- if he even makes it to the majors -- barring multiple injuries among the likes of Teoscar Hernandez, George Springer, Corey Dickerson, Randal Grichuk and Lourdes Gurriel.
The Pirates released Polanco on Saturday, Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
It was initially reported that the eight-year veteran had been designated for assignment, but he was in fact released and has become a free agent. Polanco's .208/.283/.354 slash line in 2021 casts doubt on his ability to sign a major-league deal with another team before the season ends.
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Pirates' Gregory Polanco: DFA'd Saturday
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The Pirates designated Polanco for assignment Saturday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.
This likely marks the end of Polanco's eight-year career with the Pirates, as he already went unclaimed when placed on outright waivers Sunday. Cole Tucker was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis.
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Pirates' Gregory Polanco: Three-hit day
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Polanco went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored in a win Thursday over St. Louis.
After clearing waivers Tuesday, Polanco was in the lineup for the second consecutive day, collecting three hits for the second time this season. Despite a .639 OPS for the year, Polanco has slashed .381/.381/.571 across his last six games.
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Pirates' Gregory Polanco: On bench Friday
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Polanco will sit Friday against the Cardinals, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Polanco remains with the team after passing through waivers earlier in the week and should still see plenty of starts down the stretch. He'll sit against lefty J.A. Happ on Friday, his second time out of the lineup in four days. Yoshi Tsutsugo (who bats left-handed, just like Polanco) will be the right fielder in his absence.
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Pirates' Gregory Polanco: Clears waivers, remains active
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Polanco cleared outright waivers Tuesday and remains a member of the Pirates' active roster, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports. He'll be available off the bench for Tuesday's contest against the Diamondbacks.
As anticipated, none of MLB's other 29 teams were willing to assume the money left on Polanco's $11 million contract for 2021, so he'll remain with the Pirates. Though Polanco has served as a mainstay in right field all season, it's unclear if he'll continue to receive regular starts over the final five weeks of the campaign. The 29-year-old has put together a .183/.256/.334 slash line (58 wRC+) in 545 plate appearances since the start of the 2020 season, making it highly likely that the Pirates will decline his $12.5 million team option and buy him out for $3 million this winter. With that in mind, the Pirates could be inclined to evaluate other corner outfielders who might have a more realistic shot at remaining with the team in 2022.
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Pirates' Gregory Polanco: Remains in lineup
Rotowire
Polanco, who was placed on outright waivers Sunday, remains on the active roster and will bat sixth and play right field Monday against Arizona.
In an unusual situation, Polanco was waived but remains with the team. The Pirates reportedly wanted to give him the chance to play for a contender if he gets claimed but do not intend to let him go otherwise. Given that he's hit just .199/.278/.343 on the season, it would be a surprise if a contender shows any interest in him.
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Pirates' Gregory Polanco: Placed on outright waivers
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Polanco was placed on outright waivers Sunday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.
Polanco had a career-worst .153 batting average last season, and he struggled to get into a rhythm to begin the 2021 campaign. The 29-year-old hit just .199 with 11 homers, 36 runs, 34 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 102 games this season, and he'll now be available on waivers. Polanco will be eligible to opt for free agency rather than heading to Triple-A Indianapolis if he goes unclaimed on waivers Tuesday, but he's expected to remain in the organization if another team doesn't claim him, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. The Pirates' decision to remove the veteran outfielder from the 40-man roster will allow Hoy Park and Anthony Alford to see more playing time during the final few weeks of the regular season.
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Pirates' Gregory Polanco: Sitting Saturday night
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Polanco is not starting Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Brewers.
Polanco singled twice and scored a pair of runs in the afternoon contest and now rests during the nightcap, with Wilmer Difo starting in right field and batting sixth.
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Pirates' Gregory Polanco: Reaches base four times
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Polanco went 2-for-3 with two walks, two steals, two RBI and two runs scored Tuesday against the Brewers.
Polanco made only one out in five plate appearances in the game, and he managed his third multi-hit effort in his last five starts. He also has five stolen bases across his last 14 games, bringing his total to 13 on the season. Despite his improved performance of late, Polanco still has only a .211/.296/.378 line across 311 plate appearances on the campaign.
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Pirates' Gregory Polanco: Not starting Wednesday
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Polanco isn't starting Wednesday's game against Milwaukee, Jake Crouse of MLB.com reports.
Polanco reached base four times Tuesday when he went 2-for-3 with two runs, two stolen bases, an RBI, two walks and a strikeout in the win over the Brewers. He'll get a breather while Hoy Park starts in right field and leads off in Wednesday's series finale.
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Pirates' Gregory Polanco: Reaches base four times
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Polanco went 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBI and two walks in Friday's 7-0 win over the Phillies.
Polanco had gone hitless with two walks and two strikeouts in eight at-bats across the last three games, but he plated runs in the first and second innings Friday to help spark Pittsburgh's blowout win. The 29-year-old returned from a hip injury shortly after the All-Star break, and he's slashed .265/.381/.529 with two home runs, a triple, a double, eight RBI, seven runs and three stolen bases in 11 games since then.
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Pirates' Gregory Polanco: Resting versus lefty
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Polanco is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.
With southpaw Alex Wood on the mound for San Francisco, Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton will send both of his lefty-hitting regulars in the outfield -- Polanco and Ben Gamel -- to the bench in favor of Jared Oliva and Phillip Evans, respectively. Polanco has gotten off to a nice start to the second half, posting a 1.066 OPS while going 3-for-3 on stolen-base attempts in seven games.
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Pirates' Gregory Polanco: Cranks 11th home run
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Polanco went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and an additional run scored in Saturday's 10-2 win over the Giants.
Polanco slammed a solo shot off Kevin Gausman in the fifth inning. He added two more RBI earlier in the game on a first-inning sacrifice fly and a third-inning single. The 29-year-old has two long balls and six RBI over his last four games. He is slashing .209/.287/.393 with 11 homers, 29 RBI, 28 runs and 11 steals in 279 plate appearances.
