Enmanuel Valdez: Everything you need to know

The Pirates outrighted Valdez to Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday. He's no longer on the 40-man roster, but Valdez will remain in the organization after passing through waivers unclaimed. The 27-year-old is a career .230/.288/.392 hitter over parts of three major-league seasons.

The Pirates designated Valdez for assignment Friday. The club needed to free up a spot on its 40-man roster for the addition of Konnor Griffin. Valdez has managed just a .230/.288/.392 batting line over parts of three major-league seasons.

The Pirates optioned Valdez to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday. Valdez was limited to just 102 plate appearances with the Pirates in 2025 before suffering a season-ending dislocated left shoulder in May, but after playing in the Dominican Winter League during the offseason, he received a clean bill of health heading into the spring. Despite offering the ability to play multiple infield positions, Valdez status as a left-handed hitter likely limited his appeal as a bench bat for the Pirates. Valdez will get the chance to play regularly at Indianapolis to begin the season and could emerge as a strong-side platoon option for the Pirates at some point in 2026 if Pittsburgh loses an everyday infielder to an injury.