PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Jacob Stallings’ first thought was, “Oh, no chance.”

Yandy Diaz had just hit a hard line drive to center field in the fifth inning of the Pirates’ 2-2 tie against the Rays on Sunday afternoon at Charlotte Sports Park. Austin Meadows was rounding third and heading home, so Stallings figured there was no way there’d be a play at the plate. He was wrong.Ok

Center fielder Guillermo Heredia aggressively charged the ball, hopped toward the infield and fired a perfect strike to cut down Meadows at the plate to end the inning. It wasn’t Heredia’s first impressive defensive play of the spring, but it was another example of the energy he’s brought to the Pirates on and off the field.

“I saw how he was charging the ball, and I was like, ‘Oh, he might throw it to me here.’ It was a perfect throw,” Stallings said. “He made a perfect long hop, and the grass, it kind of scooted on me. Luckily, I was able to trap it on my body and go get him. He charged it perfectly and made a perfect throw.”

Pirates manager Derek Shelton was particularly impressed by Heredia’s play -- not to mention the way Stallings stuck with it -- considering the difficulty of manning the outfield on this windy Sunday afternoon. You don’t often see players, especially those with more or less guaranteed roster spots, going all-out on a throw from the outfield nearly three weeks before Opening Day.

But Heredia is known as a spirited presence in the outfield and in the clubhouse, someone who endeared himself to his Tampa Bay teammates last year to the point that they were thrilled to see him when he dropped by their clubhouse Sunday morning.

“When we signed him, I talked to people here that knew him really well. He brings a ton of energy,” Shelton said. “He brings life to a dugout, which is really nice to see. And he’s a pretty good player.”

The Pirates’ starting outfield is set with Bryan Reynolds in left, Jarrod Dyson in center and Gregory Polanco in right. But there should be room on the bench for the 29-year-old Heredia, who can play all three outfield spots, despite his career .240/.317/.342 slash line at the plate.

Heredia hit fairly well (.281/.339/.456 slash line) against left-handed pitchers last season, however. That makes him a potential platoon partner for the lefty-hitting Dyson or Polanco, or he could serve as a late-inning defensive replacement.

“The fact that he can play all three spots, too, provides us with some flexibility,” Shelton said.

Around the horn

• Top prospect Mitch Keller, bidding for a spot in the Opening Day rotation, worked into the fourth inning in his fourth start of the spring Sunday. Keller gave up a run on three hits, a walk and a wild pitch while striking out five batters in three-plus innings.

“I thought I did really well. The stuff was really crisp,” Keller said. “Everything felt really good coming out.”

Keller’s fastball clocked in at 94 mph and touched 95 as he used his heater at the top of the strike zone. A few curveballs came out of his hand awkwardly and bounced, but his signature breaking ball still induced swinging strikes. Keller focused on his slider, throwing it in the zone for called strikes and outside for swinging strikes. According to Stallings, Keller only missed his spot on one slider, and Diaz hit it to right field for a triple.

“I thought he executed really well. I was pleased with his slider,” Stallings said. “I think he’s a little bit more concerned about the slider than I am. I thought it was good.”

• Non-roster lefty reliever Nik Turley continued his impressive Spring Training performance Sunday, striking out two in a perfect seventh inning. Turley hasn’t pitched an inning for the Pirates or one of their affiliates since being claimed off waivers on Nov. 6, 2017, as he was suspended for PED use before requiring Tommy John surgery.

In four Grapefruit League appearances, Turley has recorded seven strikeouts while allowing only one hit and one walk in 3 1/3 innings.

• Super-utility man JT Riddle made his first appearance in the outfield as a Pirate on Sunday, starting in left field and catching both fly balls hit his way -- no easy feat, considering the swirling wind all afternoon. Shelton said Riddle, a shortstop by trade, made those challenging plays “look pretty effortless.”

• Lefty relief candidate Sam Howard struggled with his command in the fifth inning, hitting a batter and walking two more before giving up a single to Diaz. Howard struck out left-handed-hitting Brandon Lowe, however, and got lefty-hitting Austin Meadows to ground out. Shortstop Cole Tucker threw Meadows’ potential double-play ball wide of first baseman Jose Osuna, though, after recording the first out at second.

Up next

Right-hander Trevor Williams will start for the Pirates as they return to LECOM Park on Monday afternoon to host the Blue Jays at 1:05 p.m. ET. After Williams pitches, a handful of potential high-leverage relievers -- including closer Keone Kela and right-handers Kyle Crick, Nick Burdi and Edgar Santana -- are also scheduled to take the mound.

Catch the game on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, MLB.TV and Gameday Audio.