Rivas gives one a ride, then flirts with cycle

MILWAUKEE -- The top of the first inning appeared as though it was going to end without much fanfare.

With two outs, Henry Davis hit a grounder up the middle headed straight for Brewers second baseman Brice Turang, who was already shifted towards second base. If Turang fielded the ball cleanly, Davis would be out with time to spare.

Instead, the grounder deflected off the second-base bag and bounced into shallow left-center field. Davis reached first base easily, and Jack Suwinski hustled from first to third. As he pulled into first base, Davis wore an ear-to-ear smile and hugged first-base coach Tarrik Brock.

Alfonso Rivas wouldn’t let the opportunity pass him by. In his fifth plate appearance with Pittsburgh, he worked a full count and launched an opposite-field, three-run home run just over the left-center-field wall. Rivas’ first home run didn’t just set the tone for the Pirates’ 8-4 win on Friday night at American Family Field, but for a three-hit game in which he totaled a career-high eight bases and came a double shy of the cycle.

“I haven’t had one of those days in a while,” Rivas said. “It’s good to know that it’s still in there, you know?”

This season, Rivas hasn’t had too many opportunities to have these kinds of days.

After playing 101 games with the Cubs in 2022, spending a chunk of the season as the team’s starting first baseman, Rivas played most of this season with the El Paso Chihuahuas, the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate.

Rivas played just eight games with the Padres and received just 17 total plate appearances. With Pittsburgh, Rivas stands to receive the majority of playing time at first base moving forward, especially given who the team has traded in recent days.

As Tuesday’s Trade Deadline came to a close, the Pirates dealt left-hander Rich Hill and first baseman Ji Man Choi to the Padres in exchange for Rivas, left-hander Jackson Wolf and outfielder Estuar Suero.

Days prior, the Pirates sent first baseman Carlos Santana to the Brewers for shortstop prospect Jhonny Severino. With Choi and Santana gone, Rivas is the only primary first baseman who remains on the 40-man roster.

The Bucs have other players on their roster who could fill in at first base, none of whom are primary first basemen.

Connor Joe has played 66 career games at first base, but he’s more of a corner outfielder. Endy Rodríguez has spent time at first base in the Minors, but he’s this team’s starting catcher. Jared Triolo experimented at first base during Spring Training, but he’s played just one game at first base as a professional.

Rivas has been a below-average hitter in his brief Major League career, hitting .248/.332/.340 with five home runs in 129 career games. On the defensive end, by contrast, Rivas has five defensive runs saved across 734 1/3 career innings and he can provide defensive stability.

“He’s going to get some opportunity, especially versus right-handed pitching,” manager Derek Shelton said. “We know he plays good defense over there. We know how he handles the at-bat. That’s not to say that we won’t see Connor over there. We may see Jared over there. You may see Endy over there at some point.

“But we knew with Carlos and Ji Man both being traded, we needed to backfill, and we’re fortunate that we were able to get Rivas back in the deal.”

In addition to serving as the Pirates’ starting first baseman in August and September, Rivas could see a fair amount of time in the leadoff spot. In his Bucs debut on Thursday, Rivas became the 10th player that Shelton has slotted into the leadoff spot this season.

Prior to Thursday, Rivas had hit leadoff only three other times in his Major League career, all of which came last season.

“It’s a little different, but wherever you are in the lineup, you try to be yourself,” Rivas said.