While pitching was a bit part of the story in Pittsburgh as the Pirates beat the visiting Colorado Rockies on Saturday, shortstop Jared Triolo also played a big role.
Batting leadoff for just the second time all season, Triolo had a heck of a game for the Pirates at PNC Park. Big Tree went 2-for-4, tallying eight total bases and a pair of runs scored in Pittsburgh’s 5-1 win to take the series.
Triolo got his night started in the bottom of the third, when he smacked his fourth home run of the season, sending one deep to left field to tack on another two runs for the Pirates.
That was Triolo’s first home run in the bigs (and just second altogether) since June 19th, when he notched one in the second game of a doubleheader in Detroit.
The ball, 103 miles per hour off the bat, soared 404 feet before it scored Isiah Kiner-Falefa and himself.
In his next at-bat, Triolo was mere inches away from recording his second home run of the game, instead bouncing it off the center field wall and away from the charging outfielder. Triolo was able to make it all the way to third base on a play where, in all honesty, he probably could have made it in standing up.
That was Triolo’s first triple of the season, at any level, and first since August 26th of last year. It was just the second triple of his major league career.
Two batters later, a Bryan Reynolds double would allow Triolo to jog home, scoring Pittsburgh’s fifth and final run of the day against Rockies pitching.
It was one of, if not his best offensive game of the season, bringing his season-wide batting average to .205.
For Triolo, it was another sign of some life at the plate since he was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis.
The Pirates first sent Triolo down on July 11th, moving around some of the depth options on the big league squad. There was some surprise when the Pirates optioned him, given how long they had stuck with him already.
But after the trade deadline, the team’s plans became more clear. They were merely parking him in Indianapolis for a few weeks, until the team made their deadline moves.
Triolo was recalled to Pittsburgh after the trade deadline, with the Pirates essentially using Triolo to fill the vacant spot left by the traded Ke’Bryan Hayes.
There was some frustration from fans after Triolo was recalled, and it did make some sense why fans were upset. At the time he was sent down, Triolo was slashing .158/.253/.266 through 55 games. Even if Triolo was still providing the level of defense that earned him a Gold Glove last season, no amount of good fielding could make up for such an abysmal slash line.
This was on the heels of a 2024 season that saw him slash .216/.296/.315 (.611 OPS) in 125 games last season.
After all, Hayes, who slashed .236/.279/.290 for the Pirates this year, was traded in part because the organization couldn’t sustain poor offensive numbers, even if it came with great defense.
Triolo’s recall also came instead of some other intriguing names. Guys like Ronny Simon (who is now also in Pittsburgh), Nick Yorke, Billy Cook, or even a few others with less MLB at-bats were all passed over for the same old, same old.
It also didn’t help that Triolo’s limited Triple-A time wasn’t impressive. He hit .209 with a .696 OPS in 14 games, with two RBI, one homer, and 11 walks.
But give Triolo some credit. The New Hampshire native has put together some strong major league
Don’t look now, but Triolo is slashing .303/.395/.439 (.834 OPS) with six extra-base hits, three stolen bases, and five RBI. He’s also drawn ten walks in that time, helping keep that on-base percentage stunningly high and putting himself in chances to score.
Triolo has hit safely in 14 of 19 games since returning to the major leagues, including reaching safely in each of his nine games, dating back to August 12th. During that run, he is 11-for-32 (.344) with five walks.
His decision-making has also improved since returning to the bigs. He’s drawn ten walks since coming back, for a 12.9% walk rate. He walked 10.6% during his first stint of the season.
For Triolo, this run couldn’t come at a better time.
Though he’s been given more leeway by management than what a lot of fans would have given him, Triolo is still battling to establish his position on the 2026 club.
The left side of the infield is pretty wide open, and unless they re-sign Kiner-Falefa, both shortstop and third base are up for grabs. Triolo probably has a job locked up on next year’s roster, but whether it’s a starting job is still in question.
It’s obviously a small sample size, but Triolo is doing his best to try and make sure he has a full-time gig in 2026. Him sustaining this kind of batting would go a long way, both for player and team.
Whether he actually can do it will make for one of the more interesting storylines as the failed 2025 season starts to wind down.
Fifth Avenue Sports 
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