The Pittsburgh Pirates optioned outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia and infielder/outfielder Tyler Callihan to Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday morning, reducing the number of players left at major league camp to 35.
Garcia, 23, had been one of the Pirates’ top offensive performers during spring training, as he batted .405 with two homers, five RBIs and 15 hits in 17 Grapefruit League contests.
Acquired via trade with the Boston Red Sox in December for right-hander Johan Oviedo, Garcia was boasting a .463 on-base percentage.
Defensively, Garcia had factored in at all three outfield positions this spring with the Pirates.
Garcia appeared in five career regular-season MLB games, all last season, with Boston.
Over 81 games last year with Boston’s Triple-A affiliate, he slashed .271/.334/.498 with 18 homers and 58 RBIs.
Callihan, 25, joined the Pirates’ organization in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds in early March in exchange for reliever Kyle Nicolas.
Through nine spring appearances with the Pirates, he was hitting .211 with a home run and two RBIs. In the field, the Pirates had been utilizing him at third base.
His MLB experience is four games, all of which came last year with the Reds.
Note: Pirates ace Paul Skenes is set to make his second start of spring training Saturday afternoon at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla., against the Toronto Blue Jays and Kevin Gausman.
