The Pirates officially have a problem.
OK, it’s a good one, as manager Don Kelly outlined recently. But they will have to figure out what to do at third base now that Jared Triolo has returned.
Pittsburgh ended Triolo’s rehab assignment Saturday and optioned Nick Yorke to Triple-A Indianapolis to make room on the 26-man roster.
Now, the question becomes how to balance playing time for Triolo and Nick Gonzales, who has certainly made the most of his opportunity.
With three more hits on Friday during the Pirates’ 9-1 victory over the Reds at PNC Park, Gonzales upped his season average to .333 in 30 games. Only three hitters throughout MLB have performed better.
That included a 10-game hitting streak, as well as consistent production with men on base. Gonzales, who has 15 RBIs, has hit a team-high .440 with runners in scoring position.
All of that is why the Pirates won’t stop using Gonzales at third, nor should they. But it does have a ripple-effect on other parts of the roster.
Konnor Griffin is obviously locked in at shortstop, something that wasn’t the case when Triolo injured strained his right knee during the home opener on April 3.
The Pirates are paying Griffin $140 million over nine years and will keep playing him. He’s also made plenty of developmental progress recently.
But the combination of Gonzales and Griffin likely means Triolo will become more of a true utility type, provided the former continues to hit.
Triolo has played just six games this season, hitting .217 with a .569 OPS. It wasn’t at all how Triolo closed the 2025 season, when he appeared in 52 games after returning from the Minor Leagues on Aug. 1 and thrived.
Triolo hit .276 with a .775 OPS. During that stretch, he was worth a team-high 1.7 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs.
Despite the slow start, the Pirates will certainly give Triolo more opportunities to contribute, because of how much he can help them defensively. He won a Gold Glove in 2024 and had an argument to repeat in 2025.
He’s more than capable of playing all four infield positions and hasn’t looked out of place in the outfield, making him an ideal late-game substitute whenever the Pirates want to prioritize defense.
Yorke did that some, but at-bats in this scenario would be more sporadic, while Triolo simply offers a better glove. Sending Yorke to the Minors to play every day makes sense.
But given how much Gonzales has produced, he deserves to maintain the regular role he’s earned. They’ll also need to find ways to take advantage of Triolo’s defense.
Like Kelly said, it’s a good problem to have.
Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH.