MIAMI _ The Pirates' offense took another hit Saturday when David Freese went on the 10-day disabled list because of a strained right hamstring.
"David is best suited to take the time he needs to take to come back good," manager Clint Hurdle said. "Not OK; to back in a good spot. He was in a very good spot for us to this point. We want to make sure of the fact that he doesn't feel pressed to get back and we'll move on from here."
The Pirates began the season with Freese, who turned 34 Friday, as their everyday third baseman because of Jung Ho Kang's absence. He was their best hitter for a month, batting .321 with a .418 on-base percentage and a .536 slugging percentage. He hit three home runs, and walked 10 times compared to eight strikeouts.
Freese hurt the hamstring Monday and had not played since. He joins Kang, Adam Frazier and Starling Marte in the group of currently inactive position players. Frazier is also on the DL because of a strained hamstring; Marte is suspended until July; and Kang remains in South Korea after being denied a visa and with a May 25 court date on the docket. The Pirates rank 14th out of 15 NL teams in runs scored, even after Friday's 12-run outburst. They have hit the second-fewest home runs and their .245 team average ranks 11th in the league.
Ortiz, 27, can play all three outfield positions. He had a .499 OPS with Class AAA Indianapolis this season. Last year, his first in the Pirates organization after signing as a minor league free agent, Ortiz hit 17 home runs. He had never previously reached the major leagues.
"This is something you work so hard to get to," Ortiz said in Spanish, with interpreter Mike Gonzalez translating. "It's a dream come true."
The Pirates had open spots on their 40-man roster, so they did not need to clear one to add Ortiz to it. They could have recalled Chris Bostick, Indianapolis' best hitter to date, but wanted a true outfielder.
"As you plan for different scenarios, say (Andrew) McCutchen tweaks (something) and (Gregory) Polanco tweaks in the same game, who plays center field?" Hurdle said.
