According to Jon Heyman, the Pittsburgh Pirates have signed infielder TJ Rivera to a minor league deal, pending the physical.
TJ Rivera agrees to minors deal pending physical with the Pirates. Primetime Sports Group represents.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) May 15, 2021
Rivera recently signed a deal with an independent team after being released by the Philadelphia Phillies last year. The 32-year-old infielder has two years of big league experience with the 2016-17 New York Mets. The Pirates are light on infielders right now at Triple-A, so this move makes sense. Despite playing just 106 big league games, Rivera actually did very well during his big league stints. He’s a career .304/.335/445 hitter. During his ten years in pro ball, in addition to five years of winter ball, he has played 100+ games at all four infield positions. He’s also played some left field. He’s a .321 hitter in his minor league career. He played in Puerto Rico this winter and put up a .302 average.
