Marcell Ozuna was back in the Pittsburgh Pirates lineup on June 3, batting sixth against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park after sitting out five games. It was his first start since May 27, a short break that brought him back into a lineup spot the Pirates have had to keep weighing all season.
The return matters because the Pirates gave Ozuna a one-year, $12 million deal in the offseason and have not gotten the kind of production that justified the investment. Through 46 games in 2026, he was slashing.186/.271/.302 with a.573 OPS, with 32 hits in 172 at-bats, five doubles, five home runs, 21 RBI, 18 walks and 56 strikeouts. Among qualified hitters, those numbers have put him near the bottom of the majors and made every decision about his spot feel more urgent than routine.
June offered a small counterpoint, but only a small one. Ozuna’s May line,.219/.329/.384 with a.719 OPS, was better than his season totals, and he had 16 hits in 73 at-bats with three doubles, three home runs, 13 RBI, 11 walks and 27 strikeouts last month. That was enough to suggest a little life in his bat, not enough to erase the larger picture of a 14-year career now tracking toward its worst season.
That is the pressure behind the Pirates’ choice. Ozuna came back into the order even after a stretch in which the club had other moving pieces, including Bryan Reynolds taking a day off from the outfield on May 28 and Konnor Griffin starting at designated hitter during the first two games against the Minnesota Twins before a right elbow strain later sent him to the 10-day injured list. The Pirates did not need to clear room for Ozuna so much as decide whether he still belonged in it.
What happens next will say more than the lineup card on June 3. If Ozuna turns the return into steady production, Pittsburgh can keep treating designated hitter as a spot with a veteran answer. If not, the Pirates will be forced to confront the gap between the contract they handed him and the numbers he has delivered.
