Pittsburgh Pirates first base/outfield prospect Billy Cook (hand) was placed on the Triple-A 7-day injured list on Sunday with a hand injury. The Pirates' 21st-ranked prospect was hit in the hand by a pitch on August 3 and hasn't played in a game since then, although the youngster recently indicated that the hand felt fine, so it could be a minimum stay on the IL. The 26-year-old is slashing .248/.323/.384 with eight home runs and 13 stolen bases in 94 games for the Indians. The right-handed hitter has even seen time in the majors last year and this year, going 13-for-55 (.236) with three home runs, eight RBI, six runs scored, and a stolen base in 19 games played. The power and speed are there, but a 27.0 percent career strikeout rate in the minors probably limits his upside.

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Wednesday that they recalled outfield prospect Billy Cook from Triple-A Indianapolis and placed outfielder Bryan Reynolds on the paternity list in a corresponding move. Cook, the team's No. 18 prospect per MLB Pipeline, was initially scheduled to start in center field and bat ninth against Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal on Wednesday before the game was postponed due to inclement weather. The 26-year-old will provide the Bucs with outfield depth over the next several days with Reynolds away from the team, but after that he'll probably head back to the farm. Cook was hitting .266/.350/.329 with no homers and 10 steals in 62 games for Indy at the time of his call-up. In a 16-game cup of coffee in the majors in 2024, Cook went 11-for-49 (.224) with three homers, eight RBI and a steal.