Pirates notebook: Nationals first baseman Josh Bell returns to PNC Park

Like so many other fan favorites before him, Josh Bell had his first PNC Park homecoming.

Bell was back in Pittsburgh on Friday for the first time since the Pirates traded the switch-hitting first baseman to the Washington Nationals on Christmas Eve for right-hander Wil Crowe and a prospect. The Pirates and Nationals opened a three-game series.

The Pirates had an offseason purge of their roster, and Bell was just part of it. Joe Musgrove was traded to the San Diego Padres, Jameson Taillon was dealt to the New York Yankees and Trevor Williams was released.

While the Pirates did have talks about a long-term contract extension with Bell’s agent, Scott Boras, the two sides never came close to striking a deal. Bell said he never had many thoughts either way about the possibility of being a long-term Pirate.

“I feel the way I play the game, it’s always just like, you know, ‘Next pitch, like, where am I right now?,’ ” Bell said. “There were some talks I could be extended at some point in time, but they never really came to anything. So I guess it’s part of it, part of the game.”

However, being shipped out of town did not dampen Bell’s enthusiasm about coming back to PNC Park.

“Oh, it’s definitely different being on this side of the stadium,” Bell said as he talked with reporters in front of the visitor’s dugout before the game.

“When I walked through the tunnel (from the clubhouse to the field), I had the same feeling I had 10 years ago when I signed here.”

The Pirates selected Bell in the second round of the 2011 amateur draft and gave him a $5 million signing bonus to pass up a scholarship to Texas. He made his major-league debut in 2016 and hit .261 with 86 home runs in five seasons.

“He did a nice job, and I enjoyed the year I got to spend with Josh,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “I wish Josh very well except for these next three games. But, no, he’s a really good kid. I enjoyed being around him.”

Bell entered Friday’s game with a .251 batting average and 25 homers in 123 games.

No plans for new faces

The Pirates have set a franchise record for players used in a season with 58. However, they might not be adding to a rather ignominious mark.

General manager Ben Cherington would not rule out calling up minor league players during the final three weeks of the season who have not already been in a Pirates’ uniform. However, he also does not seem to have great urgency in giving any other new players an audition.

“We don’t have anything on the horizon that we’re planning,” Cherington said Friday during a teleconference with reporters. “I would expect, just the way that pitching works, inevitably there will probably be some more up and down there just as we spread innings out. Nothing on the horizon, but not ruling it out either.

“We still have a bunch of games left. We’ll see what happens. The two major differences (this year) are that the roster (limit) is 28, not 40, and we have games going on in Triple-A the rest of the month, too. If someone is in Triple-A or not in the big leagues, they’re still benefiting from playing baseball. So it’s just changed the approach to September a little bit.”

Before last season, teams could carry as many as 40 players on their roster beginning Sept. 1. Before this year, the minor-league season traditionally ended on Labor Day.

A player who might get a look before season’s end is infielder/outfielder Tucupita Marcano, the centerpiece of the three-prospect package the Pirates received from the San Diego Padres in the Adam Frazier trade in July.

Marcano made his major-league debut with the Padres earlier this season and played in 25 games for them. However, he has hit just .221 with one home run in 35 games for Triple-A Indianapolis.

Could Tsutsugo return?

Yoshi Tsutsugo made quite an impact in his first 22 games with the Pirates since being signed as a free agent last month following his release by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The infielder/outfielder has a .286 batting average with seven home runs in 63 plate appearances and a 1.117 OPS.

Tsutsugo is eligible for free agency at the end of the season. Though he might be a touch old for a rebuilding team at 29, he seems to be a good fit for the Pirates.

Cherington, though, said the Pirates are undecided about re-signing Tsutsugo.

“We haven’t spoken about anything past this year,” Cherington said. “I would expect we would want to wait until after the year to think about that, have a conversation about that.

“Certainly, he’s made a great impression. We’ve really enjoyed getting to know him. Swung the bat really well. It’s been fun. We’ll see where that leaves us after the season.”

Up next

The middle game of the series is at 6:35 p.m. Saturday with Crowe (3-7, 5.94) facing his old team. Washington will start highly touted rookie Josiah Gray (0-2, 5.65).

Crowe is 1-5 in 11 starts at PNC Park this season. His lone home win came July 30 against the Philadelphia Phillies.