Hurdle 'happy' to have Marte back in lineup

ARLINGTON -- One day in Spring Training, manager Clint Hurdle wrote down an ideal lineup with Adam Frazier batting leadoff followed by Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco and Josh Bell. He finally got a chance to write it down for real on Tuesday.

The Pirates activated Marte, their No. 2-hitting center fielder, from the 10-day injured list hours before he hit a two-run homer in the 11th inning to seal their 6-4 win over the Rangers at Globe Life Park. Marte returned as soon as possible, as he was placed on the injured list on April 20 following a collision in the outfield with shortstop Erik Gonzalez. That incident landed Gonzalez (fractured left clavicle) on the 60-day IL, but Marte avoided the worst-case scenario.

“Happy to have him back,” Hurdle said. “The defensive presence is always going to be good, and the ability to do something on the bases is also a plus.”

Marte was off to a slow start, slashing .203/.247/.377 with two homers in 16 games, but he remains a catalyst for Pittsburgh’s lineup and a key presence in center field. The Pirates used rookies Bryan Reynolds, Jason Martin and Pablo Reyes in center during Marte’s absence.

Reynolds started in left field on Tuesday with Polanco in right and veteran Melky Cabrera in the lineup as the Pirates’ designated hitter. The Bucs optioned Martin to Triple-A Indianapolis, where the 23-year-old outfielder can play every day.

Martin hit .229 with a .575 OPS in 38 plate appearances for the Pirates, and he was hitless in his last 13 at-bats before being demoted. Hurdle said Martin, who played in the Majors before lining up for Indianapolis this season, left a “very good first impression” on Pittsburgh’s coaching staff.

“It just puts a lot better context on the guy we acquired in a trade. Everybody knew a name. Now everybody knows a face, everybody knows the player,” Hurdle said. “His teammates embraced him. I thought he brought a shot of adrenaline for us initially. … He was able to walk out of here with some confidence.”

Welcome home

The Pirates’ two-game series in Texas is a homecoming for a handful of players and staff. Hurdle was the Rangers’ hitting coach in 2010. Special assistant Jeff Banister was their manager from 2015-18. Keone Kela was their closer before the Pirates acquired him last July.

Reliever Kyle Crick was born in Fort Worth and lives in nearby Sherman, Texas. And Bell, a Dallas native, expected more than 150 of his family members, friends and former classmates to be in attendance on Tuesday night.

Before the Pirates selected him in the second round of the 2011 MLB Draft, Bell played a game at Globe Life Park for Jesuit College Preparatory School. His claim to fame, he said, is that he hit a home run into the bullpen in right-center field in a big league ballpark -- no minor accomplishment for a high schooler.

“Our entire dugout came out and greeted me at home. It was like the fifth inning,” Bell said. “It was awesome.”

Bell was obviously excited about being back at the ballpark he once dreamed of playing in. He said he sat in the upper level with his cousin during the 2010 World Series, which he called “the coolest atmosphere in the world.”

This is the Rangers’ final season playing at Globe Life Park. They will open Globe Life Field, which is currently under construction just outside of Texas’ current home park, next year. So, Bell said, this trip came “just at the right time.”

“The Ballpark at Arlington has always been the one I expected to play in,” he said, referencing the ballpark’s former name. “If you’re looking off in the future and you’re envisioning hitting a walk-off somewhere or a game-tying homer, it’s definitely here.”

Around the horn

• Corner infielder/outfielder Jose Osuna had his rehab assignment transferred on Tuesday from Class A Advanced Bradenton to Triple-A Indianapolis. Osuna went 1-for-5 as the designated hitter in his first game with Indianapolis.

• Rookie Kevin Newman, who is also on a rehab assignment with Indianapolis, started in left field and went 1-for-4 with a double and a walk on Tuesday. Newman, an infielder by trade, has played four of his six Triple-A rehab games in the outfield.

• With a pair of off-days coming up, the Pirates shouldn’t need a spot starter while right-hander Chris Archer (right thumb inflammation) is on the injured list. They have Jameson Taillon lined up to start on Wednesday followed by Joe Musgrove, Trevor Williams and Jordan Lyles this weekend at PNC Park. They are off next Monday, and Archer is eligible to return on May 7.