Palacios bringing positivity to Bucs after injuries, slow start to '24

PITTSBURGH -- This wasn’t how Joshua Palacios envisioned how his 2024 would go. After spending his offseason committing himself to nutrition and diving into what can make himself the best ballplayer he could be, he barely saw the field in Spring Training due to a calf injury and an illness. When he landed with Triple-A Indianapolis, he needed to go on the injured list again. Shortly after starting a rehab assignment, he needed to be shut down again in early May.

It would be easy to be discouraged, but his family helped him keep things in perspective. It was a game. There are worse things that could happen to you.

“So I just stayed focused, and stayed on track on what I had to do every day,” Palacios said at his locker before Pittsburgh's 3-2 loss in 10 innings Thursday afternoon at PNC Park. “Eventually things get better, which they did.”

Thursday was a better day for him. Palacios is back with the big club, being the corresponding move after Jared Jones was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right lat strain. Palacios is also back with a new number: 77. It’s a prime Spring Training guy number, and Palacios wanted to “represent for the underdogs.”

That’s Palacios to a tee. The Pirates were his third Major League club in three years last season, and they picked him up in the Minor League portion of the Rule 5 Draft. They started him in Double-A Altoona last season, which is usually not a promising sign.

Palacios told his Curve coaches that “I'm not here to be bitter, I'm here to get better.” It worked, and he spent most of last season in the Majors, posting a .739 OPS, nine home runs and more than a handful of clutch hits in the second half of the campaign when he started getting more regular playing time.

He also brought a jolt of excitement and energy to the clubhouse. He oozes positivity and good vibes, something that any clubhouse can use as the season gets into the dog days of the summer.

“I'm super excited,” Palacios said. “These are my guys here. It's like a family here, and I'm more excited to just hang out with the boys and just go do what we did last year and enjoy things than trying to do something special.”

After a very slow start, Palacios finally started feeling like himself again after this most recent trip to the injured list, and he started swinging the hottest bat in Indianapolis. In his 13 games at Triple-A before his promotion, he hit .362 with five walks, four doubles and a home run.

On Thursday, the Pirates turned to him in a clutch situation with Jack Suwinski on second and one out in the eighth. Palacios pinch-hit for Yasmani Grandal and drew a walk, but Andrew McCutchen and Bryan Reynolds -- who hit a solo homer in the fourth inning -- couldn’t bring either runner home. Pedro Pagés and Alex Burleson would drive in runs in the 10th to propel the Cardinals to a victory.

Consider it a reminder how this team needs an offensive boost, especially amongst their outfielders. Reynolds has been one of the top hitting outfielders in the National League, but the rest of the unit has mostly struggled. Edward Olivares (.631 OPS), Suwinski (.579 OPS) and Michael A. Taylor (.490 OPS) have all hit well below league average on the year, and Connor Joe has cooled off after a hot start to the season. Palacios probably isn’t a solution to jumpstart the outfield by himself, but he could certainly help.

“[We] heard really positive things about how [Palacios] was swinging the bat,” said manager Derek Shelton. “In terms of how we'll work him in, I think we'll figure that out as we move forward.”

Palacios showed last year he could be a contributor to a good ball club, playing the majority of the last two months, a stretch where the Pirates finished with a winning record. The team needs to have a strong finish if it wants to get into a playoff spot, and Palacios sees similarities between the 2023 and 2024 clubs.

“I think the boys are doing better this year than we were doing last year,” Palacios said. “We're in a good spot. We're not far off from second place right now, trying to get a Wild Card and trying to get ourselves back into first place, so I think there's something cooking here.”