Ozuna will pick up just his second start through the Pirates' first seven games of July. Per Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, general manager Ben Cherington said Wednesday that Ozuna had been managing a toe injury that rendered him unavailable for a few of the Bucs' games in Washington over the weekend, but it's unclear if the 35-year-old would have started in any of those contests even if fully healthy. Ozuna has been a major disappointment this season, having thus far turned in a career-worst .610 OPS while striking out in 30.7 percent of his plate appearances.

Prior to Wednesday's start, Ozuna hadn't gotten into a game since last Thursday. While he has gone 11-for-41 (.268) over his last 12 contests, just two of his hits in that span have gone for extra bases, and he also has a 1:14 BB:K. Ryan O'Hearn most often works as the designated hitter, leaving Ozuna as a bench bat. For the season, Ozuna is batting .198 with a .595 OPS, six homers, 24 RBI, 16 runs scored, five doubles and no stolen bases over 213 plate appearances.