Could Marcell Ozuna’s 448-foot blast Wednesday become the spark he’s needed?

WEST SACRAMENTO — As Pirates players celebrated and packed bags inside the cramped visitors’ clubhouse at Sutter Health Park, Marcell Ozuna took a minute to soak in the scene.

Can you blame him?

It had been more than a month since Ozuna’s last homer before he went deep in the seventh inning of a 12-4 Pirates victory over the Athletics. Perhaps more frustrating for the 35-year-old three-time All-Star, this was just his sixth start since May 28.

The fact that Ozuna went 2 for 5 with a 448-foot blast … yeah, let’s just say it was needed.

“It made me feel good,” Ozuna said. “After I've been struggling and not playing at all, [doing] what I did [Wednesday] is amazing. Thank God.”

All involved obviously must hope it continues, as the Pirates are seemingly nearing a crucial point when it comes to Ozuna, who signed for effectively $12 million this season ($10.5 million in 2026, plus a $1.5 buyout).

When Konnor Griffin and Oneil Cruz return from the injured list, the Pirates could face a roster crunch. They could also want to use the DH spot as a rotation instead of allocating it to a player who’s hitting .198 with a .595 OPS.

In the meantime, they're not ready to give up on Ozuna, as general manager Ben Cherington has said multiple times. They believe there’s a bounce-back performance in there, and the Pirates want to benefit from it.

But it has been a tricky situation to manage.

Ozuna hasn’t hit enough to justify a regular lineup spot, but it's tough for him to get hot without consistent playing time. So, what gives?

Likely Ozuna erupting so profoundly that the Pirates are forced to play him for an extended stretch, which is why Ozuna has continued to put in the work, waiting for a chance to show what he can do.

“You have to be ready in any situation,” Ozuna said. “They might not use me at all, but I was ready. When they give me the opportunity, I'll be there. I've been talking to them and [said], 'If you give me more opportunity, I'll probably get back.’ Or [if] I sit down on the bench and don't [get] an at-bat, it's hard to get a feeling, and then hard to get ready.”

It’s hard to blame Ozuna for wanting to play, but it’s also easy to see why the Pirates might choose another option, most frequently taking the opportunity to give Bryan Reynolds, Brandon Lowe or Ryan O’Hearn a partial rest day.

Plans will change if Ozuna starts producing like the guy who hit 79 homers and drove in 204 runs from 2023-24 or can even become a reasonable facsimile of the player the Pirates thought they were getting when they signed him late this winter.

The kicker, of course, has been what we saw again on Wednesday, when Ozuna was joking around with Dennis Santana, Oneil Cruz and Yohan Ramirez, then later giving Tyler Callihan a hug after another short conversations.

As much as he's struggled, Ozuna has remained an incredibly good teammate, relating to players of all ages and backgrounds, never complaining or making it about himself, staying positive and trying to set an example.

“I’ve always had a strong mind,” Ozuna said. “I never want to give up. I never want to show a bad example to the guy following me. I always have to keep grinding, do my best and show my teammates who I am.”

It’s been impressive, honestly. Ozuna is a proud guy, a World Series champion. He’s finished top-five in MVP voting, knows virtually everyone around the game and this season eclipsed 300 career home runs — not exactly a small feat.

Absolutely he'd rather be playing, but he also understands why that hasn’t happened. Meanwhile, he’s been an extremely positive presence around the Pirates, hence why teammates were thrilled when he may have found a spark in Sacramento.

“Obviously this year hasn’t gone the way he probably wanted it to so far," O'Hearn said. "But he’s been the same guy in the clubhouse every day, no doubt about that. He’s been a great teammate, supports the guys. He’s dialed into the game if he’s on the bench. Having him around is good for us. Ozuna’s the man. It’s fun to see him hit a big-time homer for us [Wednesday].”

The homer came on a 2-1 four-seamer located middle-in. Ozuna crushed it to center field at 107.1. It looked like the swings he was routinely ripping off two or three years ago.

After feigning surprise when reporters wanted to talk to him, Ozuna described a few different things that went into his approach against the Athletics, helping the Pirates win the series and possibly get back on track.

First, Ozuna admitted he’s been chasing more because he’s been so eager to dig out of this hole. For whatever reason, he felt more relaxed on Wednesday.

At the same time, Pirates manager Don Kelly and third-base coach Tony Beasley both exhorted Ozuna to stay aggressive, to focus on getting his pitch and let it rip once he did.

“He looked more aggressive; he was getting his swing off,” Kelly said. “He looked to be in a much better spot.”

The million-dollar question — literally — will be whether Ozuna can sustain this spark. More playing time will help. It also doesn’t hurt that the Pirates’ next three games will be played at hitter-friendly Coors Field, where Ozuna has six homers and an .801 OPS in 28 career games.

For his part, Ozuna said he wakes up every morning and tries to forget about whatever happened the previous day — 0-for-4 or 4-for-4, the only thing that matters is winning, he said.

Ozuna also must ride the wave of confidence that seemed to return Wednesday. In a Triple-A ballpark of all places, a level of baseball he reached for the first time when Griffin was 9.

Now that it's happened, Ozuna said he still holds out hope he can shake this extended slump and salvage at least some part of his season before it’s too late.

“I haven't doubted [myself],” Ozuna said. “Just being in a good spot, then always keep the confidence. You can lose confidence as a player because we didn’t expect the way I started the beginning of the season. But I have confidence that I can still do positive things in the game.”

Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH.