Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Ji-Hwan Bae, of South Korea, fields a ball hit by the Minnesota Twins in the first inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 18, 2023, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)
The Pittsburgh Pirates have placed infielder/outfielder Ji Hwan Bae, infielder Liover Peguero and right-handed pitcher Jack Little on waivers, a source told Pittsburgh Baseball Now.
Bae appeared in 13 games for the Pirates in 2025 and collected one hit across 20 at-bats, stole four bases and scored four runs. The 26-year-old spent most of the season with Triple-A Indianapolis, where he slashed .292/.380/.424 with 18 doubles, seven triples, one home run, 21 RBI and 23 stolen bases in 67 games,
Once considered one of the more promising prospects in the system, Bae’s success in his minor-league career hasn’t translated to the big leagues.
Bae totaled 163 games (111 of which came in 2023) across parts of four seasons with the Pirates and hit a lowly .223 with a .586 OPS, 22 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 44 RBI and 37 stolen bases.
Like Bae, Peguero was viewed as a big piece of the Pirates’ future when he was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a trade for Starling Marte.
Peguero played in 96 games with the Pirates across the last four seasons and hit .227 with a .646 OPS, six doubles, one triple, 11 home runs, 36 RBI and 10 steals. In 33 games this past season, the 24-year-old hit .200 with a .635 OPS, four home runs and 11 RBI.
Little did not appear in a game with the Pirates after he was claimed off waivers from the Dodgers on Aug. 6. In 14 appearances with Indianapolis, the 27-year-old went 2-1 with a 2.79 ERA.
With the trio of players being placed on waivers and five others getting reinstated off the 60-day injured list (RHP Dugan Darnell, RHP Jared Jones, C/1B Endy RodrÃguez, OF Ronny Simon and INF Enmanuel Valdez) the Pirates’ 40-man roster is at capacity.
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