The Pittsburgh Pirates face the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Photos by Gretta Cohoon)
This is one in a series breaking down players on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 40-man roster.
Nick Yorke didn’t have as big of a role as anticipated for the Pirates in 2025.
After being in competition as the potential starting second baseman in spring training, Yorke appeared in only 22 games with the Pirates — all of which came during the last month of the season.
The 23-year-old carried a lowly .232/.264/.319 batting line with three doubles, one home run, eight RBI and one stolen base.
The rest of Yorke’s 2025 season was spent with Triple-A Indianapolis, where he slashed .287/.348/.406 with 21 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 59 RBI and 17 stolen bases across 103 games. While his 104 wRC+ with Indianapolis equates to an slightly above league-average showing, it represented a steep dip in production from his 149 wRC+ last season after he was acquired from the Boston Red Sox for right-hander Quinn Priester at the 2024 deadline.
Yorke’s minor-league track record is strong. The 2020 first-round pick owns a .284/.362/.436 batting line with 109 doubles, 14 triples, 57 home runs, 299 RBI and 77 steals in 514 games across four levels.
In the field, Yorke has provided versatility during his brief major league career with the Pirates. Combined between the 2024-2025 seasons, he’s played 21 games at second base, six in right field, six at first base, two at third base and one in left field.
A second baseman for most of his professional career, Yorke’s versatility will give him a better opportunity to have a longer stint with the big-league club in 2026. Second base will be manned by 2025 All-Star Brandon Lowe, who was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays last month, and Nick Gonzales is ahead of him on the depth chart as Lowe’s backup.
While his versatility is important, the biggest favor Yorke can give himself will be to have a bounce-back season offensively and look more like the 2024 version of himself than last year’s.
Considering the team’s offensive struggles in 2025, it was pretty alarming to see Yorke continue to get passed over as a possible remedy.
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