When Ji Hwan Bae was promoted to the Pittsburgh Pirates in September, one reason he wasn’t overwhelmed by the jump to the major leagues was because of the familiar faces in the infield.

Bae had played alongside Oneil Cruz and Rodolfo Castro at Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis, and they were reunited at PNC Park in his fourth career game against Cincinnati.

“It wasn’t weird because Cruz was at shortstop, Castro was at third and I was at second base,” Bae said. “It’s been like that for three or four years now, so it wasn’t a big difference for me. Wearing a Pirates uniform with the logo across the chest together meant a lot to me. One day, they told me they really need me, so those words were huge for me.”

Little did the 23-year-old from South Korea know then that he would spend spring training battling Castro for the starting job at second base, with the potential consolation prize of backing up Castro at second and Cruz at short as the Pirates’ utility infielder.

Where Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Bae’s speed “brought some excitement” to the Pirates at the end of last season — when he batted .333 (11 for 37) with three doubles, six RBIs and three stolen bases in 10 games — he’s struggled through 12 Grapefruit League games this spring.

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After going 2 for 5 against the Boston Red Sox on Monday, Bae is hitting .219 (7 for 32) with an RBI double, four runs scored and two stolen bases. He has played nine games at second base and five at shortstop, turning three double plays and committing one error in 32 chances. His value to the Pirates runs deeper because of his ability to play center field, where he started for the first time Monday. Shelton started Bae there four times in the final 10 games last season, moving Bryan Reynolds to left in the next-to-last game.

“It was a little pressure,” Bae said, “but in the game I didn’t think about it.”

Primarily a middle infielder in his first two minor league seasons, Bae played in the outfield for the first time at Altoona in 2021 when he started nine games in center field. At Indianapolis, he showed his versatility by playing 57 games at second base, 24 at shortstop, 20 in center, eight in left and one inning at third.

As much as Bae wants to start at second, he’s open to the idea of playing in center.

“It was kind of weird the first time, but I got used to getting out there. You can see the spin more easily in center than left field,” Bae said. “Second base or center, I feel comfortable. Left field, I don’t really have that much experience out there, so I don’t really feel comfortable. PNC Park’s left-center is so deep.”

Then Bae made a surprise admission: “Shortstop is the hardest one.”

Bae was one of the first names Shelton mentioned as a candidate to back up Cruz at shortstop, although the Pirates have since had veteran Chris Owings emerge and added Mark Mathias to the mix through a trade.

Bae is hardly alone among the second base candidates in scuffling at the plate this spring. Despite hitting a grand slam in the opener, Castro is batting .214 (9 for 42) with seven RBIs and four runs scored and has 16 strikeouts against one walk while playing six games at second and third base. Tucupita Marcano is hitting .167 (4 for 24) with three RBIs and three runs scored and almost as many walks (five) as strikeouts (six).

Shelton expected to see Bae in the infield early in spring training but wanted him to get time in the outfield before it’s over.

“We will see him at both positions,” Shelton said, “because it’s really important for us to be able to bounce him around and for him to be a productive, versatile player.”

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