On Wednesday night, shortstop Jordy Mercer returned from the disabled list for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Despite this, Mercer should not be playing every day at shortstop for the Bucs. The reason for this is because the final month of the 2018 season needs to be about the future.
The Pirates currently find themselves owning a 65-68 record and on their way to missing the postseason for a third consecutive season. However, with a good young core and an excellent pitching staff the team has pieces in place to contend in 2019. This makes playing for 2019 during the season’s final month vital.