Kiner-Falefa went 2-for-4 with a run scored Wednesday against the Nationals.
Kiner-Falefa has struggled at the plate after a relatively hot start to the year, as he has just four hits across his last 25 at-bats (eight games) after Wednesday's multi-hit effort. He's also slowed on the basepaths, failing to tally a stolen base since March 31 while being caught on his last two attempts.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Getting afternoon off
Rotowire
Kiner-Falefa is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals.
Manager Derek Shelton will give Kiner-Falefa a breather as the Pirates wrap up their series with the Cardinals with a day game after a night game. The recently promoted Tsung-Che Cheng will make his MLB debut Wednesday, starting at shortstop in Kiner-Falefa's stead and batting ninth.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Late add to lineup
Rotowire
Kiner-Falefa will start at shortstop and bat ninth Sunday against the Yankees after Jared Triolo (undisclosed) was scratched, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.
Kiner-Falefa was poised to receive his first day off this season but will instead take his usual post at shortstop. He's batting .321 (9-for-28) with no extra-base hits and four steals in 33 plate appearances.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Receiving first day off
Rotowire
Kiner-Falefa is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees.
Kiner-Falefa will get his first day off this season after slashing .321/.424/.321 with four stolen bases, three runs and an RBI through Pittsburgh's first nine games. Jared Triolo will fill in for Kiner-Falefa at shortstop and as the Pirates' No. 9 hitter.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Aggressive on basepaths early
Rotowire
Kiner-Falefa went 2-for-3 with two walks and two stolen bases Saturday against the Marlins.
Kiner-Falefa was expected to lead off for a significant portion of spring, but he's instead hit ninth in all three of Pittsburgh's games. He's still found a way to be productive and has benefited from the team's aggressiveness on the basepaths by swiping three bases on three tries. Kiner-Falefa is likely to provide little other production, but he could be a streaming option for stolen bases.
Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Expected to be primary shortstop
Rotowire
Kiner-Falefa has started nine games at shortstop during spring training and is projected to begin the season as the Pirates' primary starter at the position, Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.
Kiner-Falefa has served as a utility player for much of his career, though 28 of his 50 appearances came at shortstop after being acquired by the Pirates. He struggled to a .587 OPS across 215 plate appearances in Pittsburgh, so there's no guarantee he'll maintain that playing time throughout the 2025 campaign. Nick Gonzales and Liover Peguero are both capable at the position defensively and have made appearances at shortstop this spring.
Kiner-Falefa is absent from Sunday's lineup against the Yankees.
Jared Triolo will start at third base and bat sixth in Pittsburgh's regular-season finale. As a member of the Pirates this season, Kiner-Falefa slashed .240/.265/.322 with eight stolen bases, one home run and 10 RBI across 215 plate appearances.
Kiner-Falefa is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds.
Nick Gonzales will take over at shortstop and atop the batting order against right-hander Hunter Greene. Kiner-Falefa occupies those spots most days, and he's provided a .286 average this month as the Pirates' primary leadoff hitter, though it's been a rather empty batting average (five doubles, no homers, three RBI in his last 19 games).
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