Bucs face former mate Josh Bell for 1st time

The Pirates faced the Nationals for the first time this season on Monday, and in the process, were reunited with one of their franchise’s key faces in recent years.

First baseman Josh Bell, whom the Pirates shipped to Washington, D.C., this offseason for two prospects, was in the lineup for Monday's series opener, batting fourth against his former team.

“I feel like not too distant a memory, but definitely a memory,” Bell said before Monday’s matchup. “I had a good stretch of games with a different jersey now, but it’s definitely different seeing black and gold on the other side of the field.”

In his five years with the Pirates, Bell had some great highlights during some tough years for the club. He finished third in National League Rookie of the Year Award voting in 2017, when he hit 26 homers in 159 games, and then he took it to the next level with 37 home runs in ‘19 to earn a spot in the All-Star Game.

Bell also was an involved member of the Pittsburgh community, volunteering for many charities and starting his own book club to discuss race and justice issues in America.

“I really enjoyed Josh’s time here, not only on the field but off the field,” said Pirates manager Derek Shelton, who was at the helm when Bell was a Pirate in 2020. “He was a really good ambassador for the Pirates and for the city of Pittsburgh.”

Bell has kept up with a handful of his former teammates in Pittsburgh, checking in to see how they and their families are doing. He also keeps up with some of the on-field performances of Pirates players, and he’s not too surprised by the burst of offense his friend, second baseman Adam Frazier -- who, as of the latest balloting update, sits in second place in the NL All-Star Game fan voting -- has produced.

“He’s lights out, huh? The Fraz of old,” Bell said. “I think last year was kind of tough on everybody, but he figured some things out and is putting the barrel on the ball like he always does.”

Worth noting

• Trevor Cahill was sent to the injured list on Saturday after dealing with another bout of left calf discomfort. Shelton said the Pirates believe they gave him plenty of rehab time -- nearly a month -- the first go-around from May into June, and they want to be cautious now that it’s cropped up again.

“I think we’ll look at different ways to treat it, whether it’s different modalities or lengths of time, and just continue to go on that path and see how we can get him back healthy,” Shelton said.

• Colin Moran was not in the Pirates’ lineup on Monday, one day after feeling some tightness in his lower back, but Shelton said the first baseman is feeling better.

“We’ll get him moving around, and it’s just a day to day thing,” Shelton said.