Pirates plan to keep Andrew McCutchen in center field when Starling Marte returns

Marte's 80-game PED suspension will end on July 18

On Sunday, Pirates outfielder Starling Marte will begin a minor-league rehab assignment with the high Class A Bradenton Marauders, the team announced. Marte is currently serving an 80-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. He is eligible to return on July 18.

Prior to the suspension, the Pirates shifted their outfield alignment to get Marte in center field. He is their best defensive outfielder -- and one of the best in all of baseball -- and they wanted him covering the most ground. Makes sense, right? Right. Franchise cornerstone Andrew McCutchen shifted from center to right, and Gregory Polanco went from right to left.

McCutchen returned to center field when Marte was suspended, and according to manager Clint Hurdle, McCutchen will remain in center field when Marte returns.

Starling Marte will be the Pirates left fielder when he returns. It's where he needs to fit in, Clint Hurdle said.

— Stephen J. Nesbitt (@stephenjnesbitt) July 2, 2017

By any measure, both statistically and the eye test, Marte is a better defensive outfielder than McCutchen. Perhaps Marte was completely the product of a magic pill PED and will now play the outfield like late career Bobby Abreu, but I doubt it.

The decision to keep McCutchen in center field seems to have more to do with McCutchen than Marte. It was pretty clear McCutchen wasn't thrilled to move to right field, though he did it for the good of the team. Moving him back to right field in favor of a player coming off a PED suspension might not sit well.

Of course, McCutchen is also a prime trade candidate, and the Pirates could be showcasing him in center field. McCutchen's bat has come around the last few weeks -- he's hitting .402/.503/.692 with eight homers and more walks (23) than strikeouts (22) in his last 34 games -- and now he'll get another chance to show he can handle center defensively.