The Pittsburgh Pirates today acquired infielder Josh VanMeter from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for minor league pitcher Listher Sosa.
The 27-year-old VanMeter played in a career-high 112 games last season with the Diamondbacks, where he hit .212 (58-for-274) with 17 doubles, two triples, six home runs and 36 RBI. VanMeter went 18-for-54 (.333) with runners in scoring postion, led the Diamondbacks with 33 pinch-hit at-bats, and had 25 of his 58 hits (43.1 percent) go for extra bases. He also made 52 appearances (46 starts) at second base, 25 appearances (19 starts) at third base and one appearance apiece at first base, left field and right field.
VanMeter also played in 19 games with Triple-A Reno in 2021, hitting .388 (26-for-67) with six doubles, nine home runs and 20 RBI.
VanMeter, who was originally selected by San Diego in the fifth round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft, has produced a career average of .212 (121-for-572) with 33 doubles, three triples, 16 home runs and 65 RBI in 233 games in the big leagues with Cincinnati (2019-20) and Arizona (2020-21).
To make room for VanMeter on the 40-man roster, outfielder Jared Oliva has been designated for assignment.
