Pittsburgh Pirates Demote Ivan De Jesus Jr.

Middle infielder Ivan De Jesus Jr. was having a strong spring for the Pittsburgh Pirates, unfortunately that didn’t stop the team from sending the 25-year-old to minor league camp on Friday.  The Pirates really couldn’t have asked much more of him, he had a batting average of .402 with one home run in 32 at bats, and still he didn’t make the team.

It has been an interesting last year for De Jesus. He has been traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Boston Red Sox in August. He was dealt by Boston to Pittsburgh as part of a trade that landed closer Joel Hanrahan in December.

De Jesus has spent parts of the last two seasons in the majors, but has just 73 at bats total. With eight seasons of minor league experience he really doesn’t have anything to prove anymore. He needs to find a team that is willing to give him a chance to play in the big leagues and give him more than a few at bats. The question now becomes are the Pirates that team? Neil Walker is at second base so that spot is filled, but with the less than spectacular Clint Barmes at shortstop that might be where De Jesus’ future lies.

What is more likely to happen is that De Jesus will be packaged in yet another deal and finding himself struggling to crack another lineup. Some players just seem destined to bounce around from team to team throughout their careers and De Jesus fits that role perfectly. He is a solid player, but the older he gets the worse his chances are for becoming a regular starter in the show.

Darren Pare is a Pittsburgh Pirates writer for www.RantSports.com.   Follow him on Twitter at dpare71,  like  him on Facebook or add  him  to your network on Google.