Pirates place Isiah Kiner-Falefa on outright waivers to be eligible for postseason if claimed

The Pittsburgh Pirates placed Isiah Kiner-Falefa on outright waivers Friday, making the shortstop/third baseman available to be claimed in time to be eligible for the postseason, a source confirmed to TribLive.

Kiner-Falefa, 30, has batted .258/.291/.332 with 30 doubles, four triples, two home runs and 45 RBIs in 167 games with the Pirates. He started 93 games at shortstop before moving to third base after Ke’Bryan Hayes was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. Kiner-Falefa remains on the active roster started Friday at Boston.

If Kiner-Falefa is claimed, that team will pay the remainder of his $7.5 million salary for the season. If not, he can remain on the Pirates’ roster, though regular playing time will not be guaranteed.

The Pirates made multiple, more immediate roster moves before Friday’s game at the Boston Red Sox. Right-handed reliever Kyle Nicolas was placed on the bereavement/family medical emergency list, and lefty reliever Evan Sisk was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis. Outfielder Jack Suwinski was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right groin strain, and outfielder Ronny Simon was recalled from Indianapolis.

The Pirates acquired Kiner-Falefa from the Toronto Blue Jays for minor- league infielder Charles McAdoo and cash considerations at the 2024 trade deadline. After playing 16 games at second base and nine at third base, he moved to shortstop when the Pirates switched Oneil Cruz to center field late last August.

“That was part of the calculus of acquiring IKF,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said during a Q&A session at PiratesFest in February. “For what it’s worth, our internal metrics have him as an above-average defensive shortstop. He’s been an elite infield defender, for sure, over the course of his career. We also believe going into spring training if he has the potential of maybe focus a little more on short whereas last year, when he was in Toronto, it was second and third. He was bouncing around. He’ll be a little more prepared for that position going into 2025. It’s a critical position. We’re confident IKF can do it at a high level.”

Kiner-Falefa had one defensive run saved in 815 innings at shortstop this season, but he might have sacrificed slugging to play the position. He batted .268/.304/.337 with 20 doubles, two triples, one home run and 35 RBIs in 117 games.

When the Pirates traded Hayes, Kiner-Falefa moved to third base, where he won an AL Gold Glove with the Texas Rangers in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. That allowed Jared Triolo, a 2024 NL Gold Glove winner as a utility infielder, and Liover Peguero to get the bulk of playing time at shortstop. Despite inquiries on Kiner-Falefa, Cherington said he wasn’t willing to make a trade just to make one.

“Izzy’s been a really solid, dependable player for us at shortstop,” Cherington said. “He plays his tail off every game, sets a great example for younger players.”