Smith-Njigba could make his Major League debut this evening against the St. Louis Cardinals.
As first reported by Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette, the Pittsburgh Pirates are calling up outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba, the older brother of Ohio State junior wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
The 23-year-old Canaan Smith-Njigba was selected by the New York Yankees in the fourth round of the 2017 MLB Draft and was traded to the Pirates in January 2021. He hit .277 with one home run, 19 RBI, 31 runs scored and eight stolen bases in 52 games for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians this season.
Smith-Njigba had reached based safely in 40 of his last 41 games, and his current 29-game on-base streak is tied for the second-longest in the International League this season. That includes going 3-for-5 with two RBI and a triple in the Indians’ 12-7 win over the Columbus Clippers on Saturday.
Smith-Njigba could make his Major League debut this evening, as Pittsburgh begins a four-game set against the St. Louis Cardinals. First pitch at Busch Stadium scheduled for 7:45 p.m. ET.
The Pirates have not officially announced Smith-Njigba's promotion, thought it’s expected that fellow outfielder Travis Swaggerty will be sent down in a corresponding move. He’s batting just .111 with four strikeout in five games since he made his debut on June 7.
-----
Be sure to check out our new message boards, Buckeye Forums. We'd love to have you part of the conversation during the season.
-----
You may also like:
-----
Be sure to stay locked into BuckeyesNow all the time!
Join the BuckeyesNow community!
Subscribe to the BuckeyesNow YouTube channel
Follow Andrew on Twitter: @AndrewMLind
Follow BuckeyesNow on Twitter: @BuckeyesNowSI