Pittsburgh Pirates acquire 1B Ji-Man Choi from Tampa Bay Rays in trade
Summary
The move gives the Pirates a veteran bat with a chance to provide the team with a short-term solution at a position it has struggled to fill since trading Josh Bell to Washington in December 2020. The 31-year-old Choi is a career .239 hitter in seven seasons with 61 home runs and 225 RBIs in 486 games spread among four teams. The players who made at least one start at first base for Pittsburgh in 2022 included Kevin Chavis, Yoshi Tsutsugo, Josh VanMeter, Bligh Madris and Daniel Vogelbach. The Rays reinstated five players – second baseman Brandon Lowe and pitchers Shane Baz, J.P. Feyereisen, Andrew Kittredge and Ryan Thompson – from the 60-day injured list and added them to the 40-man roster. Earlier this week, the team placed outfielder Roman Quinn and pitchers Nick Anderson, Brendan McKay and Jimmy Yacabonis on outright waivers.