Surprise at shortstop: With Tucupita Marcano on covid-IL, Pirates promote Liover Peguero

With Pittsburgh Pirates fans awaiting the arrival of top prospect Oneil Cruz, another shortstop prospect was the subject of a surprise roster move before Friday night’s game against the San Francisco Giants.

No one was more surprised than Liover Peguero.

“I still can’t believe this,” Peguero said Friday night after the 2-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants at PNC Park. “To be honest, at first I didn’t even believe that I was gonna be here. And then it was like I just blinked once and I was already here, so it’s kind of crazy.”

With infielder/outfielder Tucupita Marcano on the covid-19 injured list, the Pirates recalled Liover Peguero, their No. 5 prospect, from Double-A Altoona. After taking batting practice with the Curve, Peguero arrived in time for the first pitch at PNC Park.

Pirates shortstop Liover Peguero talks about his whirlwind day, where he took BP in Altoona and joined the Pirates in time for the first pitch at PNC Park. pic.twitter.com/cOtKP62IdT

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) June 18, 2022

When Curve manager Kieran Mattison called Peguero into his office, the 21-year-old didn’t know what to expect.

“I was really scared, to be honest. I’m not gonna lie. I didn’t know what he was going to tell me,” Peguero said. “Kieran Mattison was telling me, ‘You’re going to Pittsburgh.’ I was like, ‘Man, don’t play with my life like that. You’re playing with my heart.’ He goes, ‘Well, I’m not playing.’ I was like, ‘Are you sure?’ He was like, ‘Yeah, 100 percent.’ I just grabbed my stuff and came here. Like I said, I just blinked once and I was here. I was like, ‘Oh, my God.’”

Peguero said he grabbed his glove, threw it in a bag and headed for the highway.

Peguero is batting .292/.315/.469 with 17 doubles, four triples, five home runs and 33 RBIs in 54 games at Altoona this season. He leads the Eastern League in at bats (226), ranks second in hits (66), is tied for second in doubles and triples and ranks seventh in batting average.

That’s a feeling to which Peguero said he can relate “100%,” although he’d be scared if called into Pirates manager Derek Shelton’s office.

Shelton said the team learned around 2 p.m. that Marcano would be unavailable, so proximity played a role in the decision to promote Peguero instead of Cruz. Where Triple-A Indianapolis was playing in Gwinnett, Ga., Peguero was less than two hours away in Altoona and could make the drive in time for the game.

“I don’t know how long he’s going to be here,” Shelton said. “As of right now, we plan on him being here (Saturday) and we’ll work off that.”

Marcano made a similar debut for the Pirates in late April, when Cole Tucker and Bryan Reynolds were placed on the covid injured list. The Pirates promoted Marcano and outfielder Jack Suwinski from Altoona because they were within driving distance in Akron.

Peguero picked Marcano’s brain when he returned to the Curve, asking all about his major league experience.

“I asked him, ‘How was it?’” Peguero said. “He was like, ‘Bro, I blacked out. I didn’t know what was happening. I was just there. I wasn’t even feeling my body.’”

Asked if he could relate, Peguero didn’t hesitate: “Yes, 100%.”