The Pittsburgh Pirates recalled Nick Yorke from Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday, positioning the former first-round pick to face the club that originally drafted him, the Boston Red Sox. Yorke will bat seventh and take over third base for Sunday’s game, the Pirates announced.
Pittsburgh optioned infielder Jack Brannigan and right-hander Wilber Dotel to Indianapolis to clear roster space, according to a post by the team.
Left-hander Hunter Barco rejoined the Pirates in the same round of moves, a corresponding shakeup that leaves questions about how Pittsburgh fills out its bench for the rubber match of the interleague series against Boston.
| PITTSBURGH PIRATES STARTING LINEUP | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP: Mike Bachar (RHP, #71) • 1-2, 3.97 ERA, 68 K | ||||||||
| August 16, 2026 • PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA • Red Sox at Pirates | ||||||||
| # | Player | Pos | B | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS |
| 1 | Jared Triolo | SS | R | 2 | 24 | 9 | .244 | .638 |
| 2 | Esmerlyn Valdez | RF | R | 14 | 41 | 0 | .256 | .925 |
| 3 | Bryan Reynolds | DH | S | 15 | 63 | 9 | .261 | .803 |
| 4 | Brandon Lowe | 2B | L | 26 | 77 | 2 | .250 | .793 |
| 5 | Wilmer Flores Jr. | 1B | R | 4 | 10 | 0 | .297 | 1.044 |
| 6 | Jake Mangum | LF | S | 4 | 28 | 21 | .301 | .745 |
| 7 | Nick Yorke | 3B | R | 1 | 6 | 0 | .197 | .555 |
| 8 | Billy Cook | CF | R | 0 | 2 | 5 | .200 | .467 |
| 9 | Henry Davis | C | R | 8 | 30 | 2 | .171 | .571 |
| Lineups subject to change. | ||||||||
Nick Yorke’s Trade From Boston to Pittsburgh Pirates
Boston selected Yorke 17th overall in the 2020 MLB Draft out of Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, California, betting on a polished bat with room to add power. He climbed steadily through the Red Sox system, moving from Low-A Greenville to Double-A Portland over three seasons while scouts debated whether his hit tool would translate to consistent power. A strong run at Portland and Triple-A Worcester in 2024 turned him into trade bait heading into that summer’s deadline.
The Red Sox sent Yorke to Pittsburgh on July 29, 2024, in a one-for-one swap for right-hander Quinn Priester, a former first-round pick himself struggling to lock down a big-league role.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington called Yorke “a strong offensive performer and versatile defender in the minor leagues” and added the club was “excited to add him to our upper level position player group,” according to CBS Sports. Yorke reported straight to Triple-A Indianapolis and caught fire almost immediately, batting well over .300 in his first six weeks with his new organization.
Priester never solved his control issues in Pittsburgh, and Boston later shipped him to Milwaukee, where he has become a steady element of the Brewers’ rotation, a wrinkle that has aged the trade unevenly for the Pirates so far. Yorke, for his part, has yet to fully validate the deal at the major league level, though the swap remains a modest, low-stakes footnote compared with the bigger names Pittsburgh has moved in recent summers.
| BOSTON RED SOX STARTING LINEUP | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP: Patrick Sandoval (LHP, #43) • 1-1, 3.30 ERA, 29 K | ||||||||
| August 16, 2026 • PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA • Red Sox at Pirates | ||||||||
| # | Player | Pos | B | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS |
| 1 | Nick Sogard | 1B | S | 0 | 5 | 0 | .250 | .688 |
| 2 | Ceddanne Rafaela | CF | R | 16 | 63 | 16 | .287 | .792 |
| 3 | Wilyer Abreu | RF | L | 22 | 65 | 8 | .259 | .811 |
| 4 | Adley Rutschman | DH | S | 8 | 47 | 0 | .241 | .742 |
| 5 | Caleb Durbin | 3B | R | 12 | 60 | 14 | .252 | .729 |
| 6 | Andruw Monasterio | SS | R | 6 | 35 | 4 | .270 | .776 |
| 7 | Jarren Duran | LF | L | 16 | 61 | 17 | .202 | .614 |
| 8 | Anthony Seigler | 2B | S | 3 | 12 | 2 | .248 | .708 |
| 9 | Connor Wong | C | R | 3 | 19 | 3 | .241 | .684 |
| Lineups subject to change. | ||||||||
Yorke’s Path Back to Pittsburgh in 2026
Yorke debuted with Pittsburgh in September 2024 and has shuttled between Indianapolis and the majors ever since, collecting pieces of three seasons without ever locking down a permanent role. He broke camp with the Pirates in 2026 and started regularly at third base before a .221 average and a .617 OPS sent him back to Triple-A on May 1.
A hamstring injury to outfielder Jake Mangum brought Yorke back a week later, and he split time between third base, first base and the outfield, according to an MLB.com report. He spent the summer sharpening his contact quality, an adjustment that has shown up in stronger extended looks at the plate, according to a CBS Sports breakdown. Pittsburgh has continued to option and recall Yorke rather than commit to him long-term, using him as a plug-in option whenever an infielder or outfielder goes down.
Sundayâs recall drops Yorke back into a lineup that will see Boston across the diamond, a matchup neither side circled two years ago. Pittsburgh still views him as a versatile option who can cover four positions, and a productive series finale against his former organization would strengthen his case for a longer look come September.
With Jared Triolo and Nick Gonzales both holding down infield jobs, Yorke’s clearest path to consistent at-bats still runs through matchups against left-handed pitching, a role he has grown into since the trade. The Red Sox send lefty Patrick Sandoval to the mound in Sunday’s game.
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