Pirates recall Presley, option Harrison to Triple-A

By Tom Singer and Steven Petrella

May 31, 2013

PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates recalled outfielder Alex Presley from Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday and optioned infielder Josh Harrison to Indianapolis.

Infielder Chase d'Arnaud was also recalled from his rehab assignment and optioned to Indianapolis.

Manager Clint Hurdle said he wanted Harrison's right-handed bat as an option off the bench against the Tigers bullpen. But the Reds will start three righties this weekend, and don't have any left-on-left specialized relievers outside of closer Aroldis Chapman, as Detroit did.

"I'll be looking to maybe give an outfielder a day down moving forward in this series or the next one," Hurdle said. "Presley could slide into anyone of those three spots."

Presley has hit .281 in 41 games with Indianapolis this season, going 5-for-12 in his last three games. He went 1-for-3 in six games with the Pirates from April 15-24, making his first appearance with Pittsburgh as a pinch-runner on April 22 in Philadelphia.

Starting 2012 as the Pirates' leadoff man, Presley hit .237 in 104 games last season. He had 10 home runs, 25 RBIs and nine stolen bases in 16 attempts.

"Bunting for hits, things like that, stealing, it's important to the organization that I do those things," Presley said. "And I don't expect anything to change here. It's the same game. I'm going to play to my strengths."

While Presley will get a shot this weekend, d'Arnaud still has some work to do before rejoining the Pirates.

He's been on the disabled list since the start of the season after undergoing left thumb surgery on March 18. He made two rehab appearances with Class A Bradenton and four with Double-A Altoona before going 6-for-20 in five rehab games with Indianapolis.

To make room for d'Arnaud on the 40-man roster, the Pirates moved pitcher Charlie Morton from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day, although he can still be activated at any time. Morton is expected to make a rehab start for Indianapolis Sunday after giving up four runs, seven hits and three walks over five innings for the Indians on May 27.

Tom Singer is a reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog Change for a Nickel. He can also be found on Twitter @Tom_Singer. Steven Petrella is an associate reporter for MLB.com.