Bucs call up their No. 6 prospect Yorke for debut

ST. LOUIS -- Nick Yorke’s No. 1 fan was the last to know.

The Pirates on Monday selected the contract of the infielder/outfielder from Triple-A Indianapolis. Yorke, who was acquired from the Red Sox organization on July 29, is currently rated as Pittsburgh’s No. 6 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.

Yorke found out about the promotion after his game at Indianapolis, the Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate, on Sunday. The first person he called was his mom, who didn’t answer.

“She missed two calls from me, and then I called her back 30 minutes later,” Yorke said. “Everyone already knew except her, so then I let her know, and she was going crazy.”

Yorke then made the three-hour drive to St. Louis to meet up with his new teammates. He was batting in the No. 7 hole in the Pirates’ lineup in the first of a four-game series against the Cardinals.

“What I want to do the most is just help out wherever I can,” Yorke said. “Whether it's, you know, on defense, on whatever position they want me to play, you know, at the dish, whatever it is. I just want to help.”

Pirates manager Derek Shelton likes Yorke’s versatility.

“I mean, he's a guy that we acquired at the Deadline and has done really well in Triple-A all year long, and as we move forward the next two weeks, someone we want to get a look at, because we think he's going to be part of our future.”

Infielder Alika Williams has been optioned to Indianapolis to make room for Yorke on the active roster.

Since making his organizational debut with Indianapolis on July 31, the 22-year-old Yorke ranked first in the International League in hits (54) and doubles (17), third in batting (.355), tied for third in extra base hits (19), fourth in total bases (77) and fifth in OBP (.431).

“He really handles the bat,” Shelton said. “Can, you know, do different things, whether it's bunt, hit and run, drives the ball right-center field, has that approach, being able to drive the ball that way. When he does pull the ball, it's the fact that, you know, he's able to sit on pitches or to execute an at bat.”

Yorke, who was selected 17th overall by Boston in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft, was named the organization’s Minor League player of the year in 2021 after leading all Red Sox farmhands in batting average (.325), OPS (.928), hits (123), total bases (195) and runs scored (76).

In 2023, he started at second base in the All-Star Futures Game while spending the entire season with Double-A Portland.

Yorke, who has no previous big league experience, will wear uniform No. 38.

He had about 10 family and friends, including his parents and brothers at the game.

“I feel like I've grown a lot,” Yorke said. “You know, I didn't experience a whole lot of the business side of baseball prior coming up in the lower Minors, and now getting that here, getting traded, getting the call up, it's been a whirlwind of emotions, of thoughts, and so it's been a lot of fun and I just want to keep it rolling.”