Pirates add newly acquired Alfonso Rivas to active roster, option Nick Gonzales to Triple-A

In the immediate aftermath of the trade that sent Rich Hill and Ji-Man Choi to the Padres, the Pittsburgh Pirates will take a look at one of the deal’s primary return pieces.

First baseman Alfonso Rivas, 26, was added to the club’s active roster Thursday ahead of a four-game series in Milwaukee. Rivas is batting leadoff in his Pirates debut Thursday.

To make room for him on the 26-man active roster, infielder Nick Gonzales was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis.

Choi’s departure, along with the trade of Carlos Santana to the Brewers, deprived the Pirates of two of their primary options at first base.

Adding Rivas, who logged 92 games at first base with the Chicago Cubs in 2022, gives the Pirates depth at the position, complementing Connor Joe.

Since his big-league debut in 2021 with the Cubs, Rivas has played 718 1/3 innings at first base, recording only one error.

Gonzales, 24, made his MLB debut with the Pirates on June 23. The club’s first-round selection in the 2020 MLB Draft, Gonzales batted .216 with two homers and 13 RBIs over 31 games with the Pirates.

Rivas, who bats and throws left-handed, spent eight games with the Padres this season, batting .200 in 15 at-bats with a pair of doubles and an RBI.

The majority of his 2023 campaign has been with the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate, the El Paso Chihuahuas, with whom he played 58 games, compiling a .332 batting average with nine home runs and 40 RBIs.

A fourth-round selection by Oakland in the 2018 MLB Draft, Rivas was traded to Chicago in 2020 and made his big-league debut in 2021, going on to play a total of 119 games with them through 2022.

Released by Chicago in January 2023, Rivas then joined San Diego on a minor-league contract.

Rivas, a San Diego native, played college baseball at Arizona.