The Pirates cut ties with a pair of veterans at the Triple-A level on Saturday. Right-hander Yunior Marte and outfielder Dominic Fletcher were released, per the team. Marte signed a minor league deal with the club in early June. Fletcher has been in the organization all season.
Marte opened the year with the Reds. He spent most of the campaign at Triple-A Louisville, but did make an appearance with the big-league club. He gave up four earned runs in a late May outing against the Braves, recording just one out. Marte was designated for assignment shortly after.
The outing with Cincinnati marked a return to the big leagues for Marte after he spent 2025 in Japan. The righty posted an excellent 1.95 ERA in 35 games with the Chunichi Dragons of Nippon Professional Baseball. The strong NPB performance earned him a minor league deal with the Reds.
Marte spent less than a month in Pittsburgh’s system. He permitted five earned runs in five appearances with Indianapolis. The 31-year-old is expected to head back to NPB, reports Danny Demilio of Pittsburgh Baseball Now.
Fletcher earned occasional work with the White Sox the past two seasons. He was outrighted for the second time in October and chose free agency. The 28-year-old landed with the Pirates on a minors pact that included a Spring Training invitation. He had a July 1 opt-out in his contract, which he exercised, per Robert Murray of FanSided. Pittsburgh declined to add him to the big-league roster and granted him his release. He homered in what turned out to be his final at-bat with Indianapolis on Friday. The game was suspended yesterday and resumed today, without Fletcher.
With Oneil Cruz going down with an injury, Pittsburgh could’ve looked to Fletcher to fill the void of a left-handed hitting outfielder with center field chops. The club opted for a righty swinger in Billy Cook at the time. Esmerlyn Valdez has since emerged as an everyday option in the outfield. Jake Mangum is having a solid campaign. There wasn’t an obvious spot for Fletcher when the calendar flipped, and the Pirates decided to let him pursue other opportunities instead of calling him up.
Fletcher was an above-average hitter when he debuted with the Diamondbacks in 2023. He was dealt straight up to Chicago for right-hander Cristian Mena that offseason. Fletcher struggled to deliver consistent production with the White Sox. He also lost significant time to a shoulder injury. Fletcher is capable of playing all three outfield spots, so he could find a home with another team.
Photo courtesy of Frank Bowen IV of The Enquirer via Imagn Images
