Nicholas Blake Solak (born January 11, 1995) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

second baseman In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the Infielder, infield, between Baseball field#Second base, second and Baseball field#First base, first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and f ...

and

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

in the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

organization. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the Texas Rangers,

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

, and

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

. Solak played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

Louisville Cardinals The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Co ...

. The

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

drafted Solak in the second round of the 2016 MLB draft. After playing in several minor-league teams in the Yankees farm system, Solak was traded to the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

in 2018 in a three-team trade, during which he played for the Double-A

Montgomery Biscuits The Montgomery Biscuits are a Minor League Baseball team based in Montgomery, Alabama. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and play in the Southern League. The team was founded in Orlando, Florida, in 1973 as the Orlando Twins ...

and, in 2019, the Triple-A

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...

. On July 13, 2019, the Texas Rangers acquired Solak, and he was assigned to the Triple-A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

. Solak made his major-league debut for the Rangers on August 20, 2019, and was voted the team's Rookie of the Year that season. Solak remained with the team until July 23, 2021, when he was sent down to the Triple-A

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home ...

. He returned to the Rangers on August 20, 2021, and stayed with the team until May 19, 2022, when he was once again optioned to Round Rock.

Early and personal life

Solak was born on January 11, 1995, in

Woodridge, Illinois Woodridge is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, with small portions in Will and Cook counties, and a southwestern suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 34,158. The village is just north of the I-55 junction with IL-53 ...

. He has a sister named Alexis. His father Mark worked for

Motorola Motorola, Inc. () was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois. It was founded by brothers Paul and Joseph Galvin in 1928 and had been named Motorola since 1947. Many of Motorola's products had been ...

for 30 years, while his mother Roseann () has a background in community health and substance abuse prevention. He was named after Nick's Sports Page, a sports bar in

Dolton, Illinois Dolton () is a village in Thornton Township, Illinois, Thornton Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 21,426 at the 2020 census. Dolton is located just west of the expressway Interstate 94 in Illinois, Interstate 94 ...

, where his parents had first met during an event featuring

Carlton Fisk Carlton Ernest Fisk (born December 26, 1947), nicknamed "Pudge" and "the Commander", is an American former professional baseball catcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago White Sox. In 197 ...

. Nick played the

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...

in elementary and junior high

school band A school band is a group of student musicians who rehearse and perform instrumental music together. A concert band is usually under the direction of one or more conducting, conductors (band directors). A school band consists of woodwind instrum ...

, and he resumed playing it after his father had the old saxophone refurbished. Growing up outside of Chicago, Solak was a childhood fan of the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

, and his favorite childhood baseball players were

Scott Podsednik Scott Eric Podsednik (; born March 18, 1976) is an American former professional baseball outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Best known for his baserunning, Podsednik led the major leagues in stolen bases in with 70, in times caught stea ...

Paul Konerko Paul Henry Konerko ( ; born March 5, 1976) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman from 1997 to 2014, most prominently as a member of the Chicago White Sox, where he was a s ...

, and

Mark Buehrle Mark Alan Buehrle (; born March 23, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played the majority of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Chicago White Sox, playing twelve seasons for the team and winning the World ...

. Solak played three seasons with the baseball team at

Naperville North High School Naperville North High School is a public four-year high school located at the corner of Ogden Avenue and Mill Street in the northern-central part of Naperville, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It’s a part ...

Naperville, Illinois Naperville ( ) is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage and Will County, Illinois, Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is a southwestern suburb of Chicago located west of the city on the DuPage River. As of the 2020 United State ...

, where he played as a middle infielder. He batted .442 with 27

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

(RBI) as a

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Aircraft * Ekolot JK-05L Junior, a Polish ultralight aircraft * PZL-112 Junior, a Polish training aircraft * SZD-51 Junior, a Polish-made training and club glider Arts and entertainment Characters * Bowser Jr., ...

in 2012. As a senior in 2013, he had a .340 batting average. However, only the

sent him a questionnaire before the

2013 Major League Baseball draft The 2013 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in reverse order of ...

. Solak married his girlfriend, Roxanne McVey, on November 20, 2021. Solak and McVey met during their attendance at the University of Louisville, where McVey played volleyball, with Solak proposing to her in 2019 at the bar where they first met. Their daughter was born in December 2023. Solak was featured in a 2022 episode of ''

Bar Rescue ''Bar Rescue'' is an American reality television series that airs on Paramount Network (formerly Spike during the first five seasons). It stars Jon Taffer, a long-time food and beverage industry consultant specializing in nightclubs, bars and p ...

''.

College career

Solak made his

debut on February 16, 2014,

pinch hitting In baseball, a pinch hitter (PH) is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead (not in active play); the manager may use any player who has not yet entered the game as a substitute. Unlike basketball, Am ...

for the

in their 6–1 win against the

Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens The Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens are the athletic teams of the University of Delaware (UD) of Newark, Delaware, in the United States. The Blue Hens compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) of Division I of the National Collegiat ...

. The following week, Solak experienced a number of collegiate firsts. On February 19, during the Cardinals' season home opener against

Eastern Kentucky Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...

, he recorded his first RBI on a groundout. Two days later, he recorded his first

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from ''Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust or HIT, a fictional organization i ...

in the Cardinals' 21–8 rout of the

Western Michigan Broncos The Western Michigan Broncos are a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I program representing Western Michigan University (WMU) in college athletics. They compete in the Mid-American Conference in men's coll ...

, and he made his first

start Start can refer to multiple topics: * Takeoff, the phase of flight where an aircraft transitions from moving along the ground to flying through the air * Starting lineup in sports * Track and field#Starts use in race, Starts use in sport race * S ...

the day after that as a

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. Unlike other players in a team's lineup, they generally only play as an offensive player and usually do not play defense as ...

when the Cardinals

shut out Shut Out may refer to: * Shutout In team sports, a shutout (North American English, US) or clean sheet (Commonwealth English, UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable ...

the Broncos 8–0. In the summer of 2014, he played for the

Vermont Mountaineers The Vermont Mountaineers is a collegiate summer baseball team based in Montpelier, Vermont. The team is a member of the New England Collegiate Baseball League that plays their home games at Montpelier Recreation Field. In 2022, the Mountaineers ...

of the

New England Collegiate Baseball League The New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) is a 13-team collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league founded in 1993 and sanctioned by the NCAA and Major League Baseball. Each NECBL team plays an eight-week, 44-game schedule during June ...

. As a sophomore in 2015, Solak attained a .324 batting average, and had three homeruns, forty RBIs, fifteen doubles, and eighteen stolen bases. Along with

Pete Alonso Peter Morgan Alonso (born December 7, 1994), nicknamed "Polar Bear", is an American professional baseball first baseman for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). Internationally, Alonso represents the United States. Alonso played co ...

, he played for the

Bourne Braves The Bourne Braves are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Bourne, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Braves play their home games at Doran Park (ballpark) ...

of the

Cape Cod League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

, with Solak name a league all-star. In 2016, he played as a second baseman, and despite suffering from an injury, he was named a Second Team Academic All-American by the

College Sports Information Directors of America College Sports Communicators (CSC) is a membership association for all strategic, creative and digital professionals working in intercollegiate athletics across all levels for colleges, universities and conferences across the United States and Cana ...

, and earned second-team All-America recognition from the

National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) is an association of baseball writers, broadcasters, and publicists in the United States. It was founded in 1962. The NCBWA compiles a preseason ranking of the top 30 teams in the n ...

. He had a

slash line This is an alphabetical list of selected unofficial and specialized terms, phrases, and other jargon used in baseball, along with their definitions, including illustrative examples for many entries. 0–9 0 :"Oh and ..." See count. 1 ...

of a .376 batting average, .470

on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batting (baseball), batter reaches base (baseball), base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA ...

, and a .564

slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at-bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at-bats for a given player, an ...

. He also hit four home runs, and 26 RBIs in his 42 games played in 2016. Solak finished his collegiate career with a slash line of .346/.442/.484 with 10 home runs, 94 RBI, 36 stolen bases, and a .926

on-base plus slugging On-base plus slugging (OPS) is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player both to get on base and to hit for power, two important offensive skills, are ...

(OPS).

Professional career

New York Yankees

The

selected Solak in the second round of the

2016 MLB draft The 2016 Major League Baseball draft began on June 9, 2016, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2015 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks were distributed for players who ...

as the 62nd overall pick, and signed him for a $950,000

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

. Before the draft,

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

had ranked him as the 86th-best draft prospect. He made his professional debut with the Low-A

Staten Island Yankees The Staten Island Yankees were a minor league baseball team located in the New York City borough of Staten Island from 1999 to 2020. Nicknamed the "Baby Bombers", the Yankees were the Class A Short Season affiliate of the New York Yankees and pl ...

and hit two three-run home runs during his first at-bat there. He finished the 2016 season with a .321 batting average and three home runs, with his 77 hits a tie for the second-most hits in the

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

(NYPL), and 48 runs a tie for the third-most runs. He also hit .411 during a 14-game

hitting streak In baseball, a hitting streak is the number of consecutive official games in which a player appears and gets at least one base hit. According to the Official Baseball Rules, such a streak is not necessarily ended when a player has at least 1 pl ...

stretching from July 28 to August 13. He was named to the NYPL's mid-season all-star team, and Baseball America's Short-Season All-Star team. Following the season Baseball America also ranked Solak the number 19 prospect in the Yankees organization. In 2017, Solak finished with a .301 batting average for the High-A

Tampa Yankees Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the county seat of Hillsborough C ...

, hitting 10 home runs with 44 RBI and 13 stolen bases. After playing 100 games with Tampa, Solak was promoted to the then- Double-A

Trenton Thunder The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. From 1994 to 2020, it was a Minor League Baseball team of the D ...

on August 1, where he finished the season batting .286/.344/.429. He led the

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

(FSL) with a .397 OBP, and ranked second with a .301 average and a .460 slugging percentage.

MLB.com MLB.com is the official site of Major League Baseball and is overseen by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P. (a subsidiary of MLB). MLB.com is a source of baseball-related information, including baseball news, statistics, and sports colum ...

named him to the League's postseason all-star team and the Yankees Organizational All-Star Team, and ranked him as the number five second-base prospect following the season. Moreover, Baseball America ranked Solak as the number 14 prospect in the FSL, and in their Best Tools survey, Solak was tabbed as the Best Hitter for Average in the Yankees organization.

Tampa Bay Rays

On February 18, 2018, the Yankees sent Solak to the

in a three-team trade, in which the Yankees acquired Brandon Drury from the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

, the Diamondbacks acquired Steven Souza from the Rays and

Taylor Widener Taylor Browning Widener (born October 24, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks and in the KBO League for the NC Dinos and Sams ...

from the Yankees, and the Rays acquired Anthony Banda,

Colin Poche Colin Michael Poche ( ; born January 17, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the New York Mets organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays and Washington Nationals. He made his ML ...

, and

Sam McWilliams Samuel Rutherford McWilliams (born September 4, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He spent time on the 40-man roster of the New York Mets and San Diego Padres, and was a Rule 5 draft, Rule 5 pick by the Kansa ...

from the Diamondbacks. He spent the 2018 season with the Double-A

. After batting .282 with 19 home runs, 76 RBIs, and 21 stolen bases in 126 games, Solak was named Montgomery's MVP. Solak also participated in the

Southern League All-Star Game The Southern League All-Star Game was an annual baseball game sanctioned by Minor League Baseball between professional players from the teams of the Double-A Southern League. Each division, North and South, fielded a team composed of players in t ...

in June. Solak began 2019 with the Triple-A

of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

, with

Joe McCarthy Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death at age 48 in 1957. Beginning in 1950, McCarthy became the mo ...

stating that " e guy is a hitter" in reference to Solak. He finished his Bulls season with a .266/.350/.485/.835 slash line, 17 home runs, and 47 RBI in 301 at-bats.

Texas Rangers

On July 13, 2019, Solak was traded to the Texas Rangers in exchange for pitcher

Pete Fairbanks Peter Anderson Fairbanks (born December 16, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). Fairbanks was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the ninth round of the 2015 MLB draft. He debuted ...

. He was assigned to the

of the Triple-A

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

. On August 20, the Rangers selected Solak's contract and promoted him to the major leagues. He made his major league debut that day in a double-header versus the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

, recording his first career hit off

Andrew Heaney Andrew Mark Heaney (born June 5, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees, Los Angele ...

and first career home run off

Jaime Barría Jaime Jonathan Barría Soto (born July 18, 1996) is a Panamanian professional baseball pitcher for the Algodoneros de Unión Laguna of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels, and ...

. Solak finished the 2019 season hitting .293/.393/.491 with 5 home runs and 17 RBI over 33 games for Texas. He had the fastest sprint speed of all major league designated hitters, at 28.7 feet/second, and was also voted the team's Rookie of the Year. Entering the 2020 season, Baseball America ranked Solak as the Rangers' fourth-best prospect. Solak was the Rangers'

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

left fielder. In addition to left field, Solak also played at second base,

center field A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the cen ...

, and as a designated hitter. His first home run of the season on August 9 was annulled after a referee changed it to an error committed by Jo Adell. Solak played 58 games (a tie for the club lead with

Isiah Kiner-Falefa Isiah Kiner-Falefa (born March 23, 1995), often abbreviated as IKF, is an American professional baseball utility player for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Texas Rangers, New York Ya ...

), finishing .268/.326/.344 and hitting two home runs. Solak was part of the Rangers' Opening Day roster for 2021 as a second baseman. On July 23, 2021, Solak was optioned to the Triple-A

. Up until that point, he had a team-high 88 second-base starts, as well as a .225 batting average and 34 RBIs in 92 games. He was recalled to the Rangers on August 20. Upon his return, Solak stated he learned "not to put too much pressure on imselfwhether things are going really good or things are going really bad" while

Chris Woodward Christopher Michael Woodward (born June 27, 1976) is an American former professional baseball utility player and current coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, ...

, the Rangers manager, stated that "it's been nice to see him kind of make that adjustment". Solak finished the season hitting .242/.314/.362/.677 with 11 home runs and 49 RBI. From April 14 to July 9, Solak had a 71-game no-error streak, the longest single-game streak among Ranger second basemen. Solak was part of the Rangers' 2022 Opening Day roster as an outfielder. On May 19, he was again optioned to Round Rock Express. He hit .209/.293/.313 and two home runs in his 75 plate appearances before his demotion.

Cincinnati Reds

On November 10, 2022, Solak was traded to the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

for cash considerations. Solak was optioned to the Triple-A

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, wi ...

to begin the 2023 season. On March 30, 2023, the Reds designated him for assignment.

Seattle Mariners

On March 31, 2023, the Reds traded Solak to the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

for cash considerations. He was optioned to the Triple-A

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, ...

. He went 1-for-13 in 4 games with Tacoma before being designated for assignment on April 10.

Atlanta Braves

On April 14, 2023, the

claimed Solak off of waivers and optioned him to the Triple-A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...

. He was designated for assignment on April 16. On April 18, 2023, Solak was claimed off waivers by the

and optioned to the Triple-A

Gwinnett Stripers The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia ...

. He was recalled to the major league roster on April 25 after

Eli White Elijah Thomas White (born June 26, 1994) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Texas Rangers. Amateur career White attended Wren High Schoo ...

was placed on the paternity list. He appeared in one game against the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

as a

pinch runner In baseball or softball, a pinch runner is a player substituted into a game for the purpose of base running. Description A pinch runner may be faster or otherwise more skilled at base running than the player for whom the pinch runner has been s ...

for Sean Murphy before he was optioned to Gwinnett April 28. Solak was designated for assignment on June 6 following the acquisition of Ben Heller.

Detroit Tigers

On June 9, 2023, Solak was claimed off waivers by the

and optioned to the Triple-A

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A baseball team nicknamed the ...

. The Tigers called up Solak the next day where he made his debut as a pinch runner. August 4, Solak was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Tigers following the acquisition of

Andrew Vasquez Andrew Jacob Vasquez is a Native American flute player of the Apache Tribe of Oklahoma. He has released four albums to date, ''Vasquez'', the award-winning ''Wind River'', ''V3: An American Indian'', and ''Togo'', all released by Makoché Records ...

. On August 6, Solak cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple–A. For the 2023 season, Solak had the distinction of having only two pinch runner appearances for two different teams without having an official at-bat. He elected free agency following the season on November 6.

Seattle Mariners (second stint)

On January 30, 2024, Solak signed a minor league contract with the

. In 90 games for the Triple–A

, he hit .311 with nine home runs, 53 RBI, and 10 stolen bases, his highest batting average in a full season since 2016. Solak elected free agency following the season on November 4.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On December 6, 2024, Solak signed a minor league contract with the

. He made 32 appearances for the Triple-A

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory ...

, hitting .393/.452/.625 with six home runs, 19 RBI, and four stolen bases. On May 16, 2025, the Pirates selected Solak's contract, adding him to their active roster. In four appearances for Pittsburgh, he went 1-for-11 (.091). On June 3, Solak was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to Triple-A Indianapolis. He elected free agency the following day. Solak re-signed with Pittsburgh on a minor league contract on June 5.

References

External links

Louisville Cardinals bio
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Solak, Nick 1995 births Living people Atlanta Braves players Baseball players from Cook County, Illinois Bourne Braves players Detroit Tigers players Durham Bulls players Gwinnett Stripers players Indianapolis Indians players Leones del Escogido players Louisville Cardinals baseball players Major League Baseball second basemen Montgomery Biscuits players Nashville Sounds players People from Woodridge, Illinois Pittsburgh Pirates players Round Rock Express players Staten Island Yankees players Tacoma Rainiers players Tampa Yankees players Texas Rangers players Toledo Mud Hens players Trenton Thunder players Vermont Mountaineers players