PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates are relying on their youth to bolster their lineup and are calling up a player that could develop into something special.The Piates are bringing up outfielder Esmerlyn Valdez from Triple-A Indianapolis, according to Francys Romero, marking his first stint in the major leagues.Valdez is already on the 40-man roster, so the Pirates are optioning Billy Cook to Indianapolis to make room for him on the 26-man roster, according to José Negron of DK Pittsburgh Sports.He will join the Pirates for their next road trip, as they travel to face the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre for a weekend series, May 22-24. It's been a wild ride for Valdez and his career, who started 2025 with High-A Greensboro and wasn't on top 30 lists for the Pirates best prospects and is now on the verge of making his MLB debut.Valdez has been excellent with Indianapolis this season, slashing .253/.381/.506 for an OPS of .887 in 46 games, with 40 hits, 10 doubles, 10 home runs, 29 RBI and 33 walks to 41 strikeouts.Make sure to visit Pirates OnSI for the latest news, updates, interviews and insight on the Pittsburgh Pirates!Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow