Recall Watch: Jeff Clement

Jeff Clement is raking at AAA Indianapolis as of late, hitting .321/.403/.562 with seven home runs through 47 games and 186 plate appearances.  In his past ten games, Clement is hitting .427/.524/1.054 with five of his seven four-baggers.  A potential call-up opportunity for Clement is next Tuesday, when the Pirates take on the Baltimore Orioles and the Cleveland Indians in their ballparks for six games.  Clement could most likely fit in as a designated hitter, as Matt Hague has heated up since the Pirates recalled him on May 25th, hitting .256/.310/.308 in eleven starts since then.

More after the jump.

A possible position for Clement when the Pirates are done taking on the American League in their ballparks is a platoon position at first base.  Clement hits very well against right handed pitching, hitting .345/.422/.593 this season.  Matt Hague has struggled against right-handed pitching, batting just .206/.250/.265 against them as opposed to .286/.333/.286 against lefties.  A spot on the currently full 25-man roster would need to be cleared for Clement.  A candidate for that would be Jordy Mercer, who has hit .111/.200/.111 in ten plate appearances.

However, the Pirates should be leery of calling up players due to their minor league performances.  Last season, John Bowker was hitting .306/.348/.482 with 15 home runs for the Indianapolis Indians before being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on August 29th.  When he played for the Phillies, Bowker had no hits in 13 plate appearances and was released on January 10th.

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