PT TOMORROW: NL Central—If Mercer warms, does Polanco pay?

Pittsburgh Pirates

Due to his continued lackluster production, Gregory Polanco (OF, PIT) has increasingly become the answer to the riddle of how to find a spot in the lineup for Jung-ho Kang (SS, PIT). When Polanco sits, Kang shifts to 3B, and Josh Harrison (3B, PIT) mans right field. This arrangement was made perhaps a bit more palatable this week, with Jordy Mercer (SS, PIT) showing some signs of life at the plate (4-for-11, 2B from May 24-27).

Local press reports noted that Polanco’s slash line this year (.242/.308/.340) looks suspiciously like last year’s (.235/.307/.343), which comports with the cautionary tone struck in this year’s Baseball Forecaster, suggesting that Polanco may not quite “pop” just yet. Nonetheless (as the...

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