The Pirates are moving on from Marcell Ozuna and turning to Ronny Simon. On August 5, 2026, Pittsburgh will release the designated hitter and call up Simon from Triple-A Indianapolis.
It is a sharp reversal for a player the Pirates signed to a one-year, $12MM deal after missing out on other targets. Ozuna has come up empty over 280 plate appearances this season, hitting.203/.286/.327 with a 28.6% strikeout rate. He had one decent month in June, but the rest of the year never came close to justifying the role he was handed.
The move also gives Pittsburgh a way to answer a lineup problem that has been dragging all season. Pirates designated hitters have hit.223/.293/.363 and produced a 79 wRC+, and the club is already without Oneil Cruz, Konnor Griffin and Ryan O’Hearn because of injuries. O’Hearn is expected to miss at least six weeks or so, which only makes the need for another bat more immediate.
Simon has earned the look. The 26-year-old has taken 428 plate appearances for Indianapolis and hit.330/.419/.470 with seven home runs, a 12.4% walk rate and a 17.4% strikeout rate. He has also gone 33-for-40 in stolen base attempts, a level of production that makes him one of the few internal options pushing for real major league time. He already logged 88 plate appearances with Miami last season, and the Pirates picked him up in an offseason waiver claim.
The catch is what comes after the release. Once Ozuna clears release waivers, he becomes a free agent, and any club can sign him to a big league deal for only the prorated minimum. A minor league contract is the likelier outcome, but the key point for Pittsburgh is simpler: after the trade deadline, release is the only path left. Simon gets the roster spot, and Ozuna’s run as a major offseason addition ends with a.203 season and a quick exit.
