PHILADELPHIA -- Nick Solak had kept it cool talking to the media Friday afternoon, just hours away from his Pirates debut in an 8-4 loss to the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. But at the end of the scrum, when reflecting about that feeling of getting a call-up to the Majors again, the veteran utilityman started fighting back tears.
“This will be the first time my daughter gets to see me playing in the big leagues,” Solak said.
Shea Solak is 1 1/2 years old. Her dad is 30. Baseball can be a cruel sport once you get in the upper-20s, and opportunities can become scarce. Solak hadn't appeared in a Major League game since 2023. He hadn't had a big league at-bat since 2022. Another chance in The Show was hardly a guarantee.
The good news is there is always one way to potentially create an opportunity: mash. Solak did exactly that, terrorizing International League pitching. In 32 games with Triple-A Indianapolis, Solak hit .393 with six home runs and a 1.077 OPS, en route to winning Indianapolis’ Player of the Month honors in April.
Meanwhile, in the Majors, the Pirates have struggled to get much going. It’s been 21 games since they scored more than four runs on a given night. They entered Friday last in the Majors with only 135 runs scored. The outfield needed a boost -- especially with Oneil Cruz being out of the lineup the past four games with lower back discomfort -- so they decided to roll the dice on Solak.
“He’s having a heck of a year, and to get him up here and be able to see what he’s got up here [is exciting],” manager Don Kelly said. “… Just wanted to stay within himself, come up here, put the barrel on the ball and do the things that he does.”
To make room for Solak, Ji Hwan Bae was optioned to Indianapolis and infielder/outfielder Michael Helman was designated for assignment. While the Pirates’ bullpen would falter in the seventh and eighth innings Friday, Solak at least made that first at-bat back in the Majors, singling to left.
Solak had played five years in the Majors before Friday's return, the first four with the Rangers. He showed promise in his rookie cameo in 2019, but regressed during the abbreviated 2020 campaign. He got a solid look in 2021, getting 511 plate appearances over 127 games, but his .677 OPS and -6 defensive runs saved at second base weren’t enough. The Rangers signed Corey Seager and Marcus Semien that winter, closing off the middle infield to just about everyone. Solak turned into a utilityman and eventually a journeyman, changing organizations five times in 2023 alone.
That much heartbreak and starting and stopping would challenge any player’s resolve. Solak knows this game is full of ups and downs, and he used that experience as his drive to work towards this next opportunity.
“I think being a little bit older now, some of that maturity [has helped],” Solak said. “I've always had a really good support system around me. They've always helped. But really, I think it's just all the things I've experienced in this game have taught me a lot. Some of those things aren't the best things, but they've taught good lessons that I can learn from.”
The game has taught Solak plenty. He’s trying to apply it, even if it’s simple lessons at the plate, like not trying to do too much. Pair that with resilience, and he can do that in the Majors again, with Shea watching.
“I just show up every day and go to work and try to do my best,” Solak said. “A lot of those things are out of your control. For me, it's just showing up and doing my best wherever I was at.”