This story was excerpted from Alex Stumpf's Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Nick Gonzales hadn’t quite forgotten what it was like driving to PNC Park with the knowledge he’d be in the starting lineup, yet when he did Tuesday for the first time in over two months, it evoked strong emotions.

A few days after placing him on waivers, the Pirates are signing Nick Solak to a minor league contract. Read more at MLB Trade Rumors.