Bae began the season on Pittsburgh’s Opening Day roster
By Anna Kayser
INDIANAPOLIS – The Pittsburgh Pirates today announced that super utilityman Ji Hwan Bae will begin a rehab assignment tonight with the Indianapolis Indians as they open a six-game road trip against Gwinnett. Bae is the ninth major league rehabber assigned to Indy on 10 different assignments this season, joining infielders Ji Man Choi and Ke’Bryan Hayes, southpaw pitchers Jose Hernandez and Rob Zastryzny, and right-handed pitchers Wil Crowe, Chase De Jong, Robert Stephenson and Vince Velasquez.
Bae, 24, was placed on the 10-day injured list on July 2 with a left ankle sprain. He began the season on Pittsburgh’s Opening Day roster and hit .238 (51-for-214) with 37 runs, nine doubles, two home runs and 20 stolen bases in 76 games. Defensively, he split time between second base (306.0 innings), center field (208.2) and shortstop (24.0), logging a .953 fielding percentage (six errors in 128 total chances) at his primary infield position.
The utilityman showcased his versatility in 108 Triple-A games last season, rotating between five defensive positions while posting strong numbers offensively. Bae led all Indians qualifiers with a .289 batting average (8th in International League), .362 on-base percentage, .430 slugging percentage, .792 OPS, 121 hits, 81 runs (T-8th) and 30 stolen bases (T-8th), and finished second on the team with six triples (T-5th). He also became the first Indians baserunner since Alen Hanson (36) in 2016 to swipe at least 30 bases and was the fifth Indians batter since 1996 to hit at least eight homers and steal 30 bases in a single season.
Bae was originally signed by Pittsburgh as a non-drafted free agent on March 10, 2018, out of Daegu, Republic of Korea. He had his contract first selected by the Pirates on Sept. 23, 2022, and made his major league debut that day vs. Chicago (NL), going 1-for-3 with a walk and two stolen bases.
Indianapolis’ MLB rehab assignments are presented by Franciscan Health
Originally posted on milb.com