The Pittsburgh Pirates promoted outfielder/first baseman Billy Cook to the big leagues, the club announced Wednesday.
The move comes as Bryan Reynolds was placed on the MLB paternity leave list after being removed from Tuesday’s game vs. the Detroit Tigers to join his wife, Blair, who went into labor with their third child.
The 26-year-old Cook has been swinging a red-hot bat at Triple-A Indianapolis of late, as he ranks second in the International League with a .442 batting average and .529 on-base percentage this month.
Cook’s 22 hits in June at the time of his recall ranked first.
Get to know Billy Cook before he takes the field for @Pirates tomorrow ???? pic.twitter.com/ro1HRUQumG
— Young Bucs (@YoungBucsPIT) June 18, 2025
On the year with the Indians, Cook is slashing .271/.353/.335 with 11 doubles, no home runs and 20 RBIs in 61 games.
Cook, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Pirates’ No. 18 overall prospect, was acquired last summer in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles.
Quickly assigned to Triple-A, he joined the Pirates in early September of 2024, making his MLB debut Sept. 8.
Over 16 games, he hit .224 in 49 at-bats, hitting three homers with a pair of doubles and eight RBIs.
Defensively, the right-hitting Cook offers the Pirates a versatile option at multiple positions.
He can play left, center and right field and has also made 12 starts (106 innings) at first base with Indianapolis this season.
A native of Layton, Utah, Cook played college baseball at Pepperdine and was a 10th-round (No. 287 overall) draft pick by Baltimore in the 2021 MLB Draft.
