Pirates pull Starling Marte out of winter ball early

The Pirates have ended Starling Marte’s Dominican Winter League Season early due to a hand injury, his Dominican team, Leones del Escogito, announced (and Bill Brink of the Post-Gazette explained).

Marte got spiked in the left hand as he slid on a stolen-base attempt Friday. Marte was only supposed to play through this Thursday, so it’s not a huge loss. John Dreker at Pirates Prospects said Marte would have required permission from the Pirates to continue playing with Escogido in the playoffs, and that such an arrangement was unlikely anyway.

Marte finishes his winter season with a .277/.333/.438 line with three home runs, three doubles and three triples in 112 at-bats. Here’s a deeper look at his winter from the PG, which indicates Marte had gotten hot later in the season.