Pirates Starting Pitcher Suffers Season-Ending Injury
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates continue to deal with injuries throughout 2024 and another one to a starting pitcher.
Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reported that the Pirates sent left-handed pitcher Marco Gonzales to the 60-day Injured List due to a forearm strain, which ends his season.
Marco Gonzales has been placed on the 60 day IL. His regular season is over.
— Alex Stumpf (@AlexJStumpf) August 13, 2024
Ryder Ryan has had his contract selected.
Gonzales has dealt with forearm strain over the past two seasons, cutting into the amount of games he has pitched.
He went on the 15-day Injured List on June 3, 2023 with a left forearm strain and that turned into the 60-day Injured List on July 26, keeping him out the rest of the season with the Seattle Mariners.
The Mariners would activate Gonzales off the 60-day Injured List and then traded him to the Atlanta Braves on Dec. 3 in a five-player trade. The Braves would then trade him and cash on Dec. 5 to the Pirates for a player to be named later.
Gonzales had a great start to the 2024 season for the Pirates, with a 2.65 ERA in three starts and 17.0 innings pitched, along with 11 strikeouts to five walks. He would go onto the 15-day Injured list on April 14 with that left forearm strain and then to the 60-day Injured List on June 3.
The Pirates sent Gonzales on a rehab assignment with the Indianapolis Indians of Triple-A on July 1. He would struggle in two starts, with a 6.14 ERA in 7.1 innings pitched, allowing seven hits, five earned runs and five walks to six strikeouts.
He then came back up to the Pirates on July 12 after they activated him off the 60-day Injured lIst.
Gonzales had a great first start back, allowing just one run in 5.0 innings pitched in a 4-1 victory on the road over the Chicago White Sox on July 12.
His next game saw him suffer a loss, allowing two earned runs in 4.2 innings pitched in a 6-0 loss at home against the Phialdelphia Phillies on July 21.
Gonzales would then play even worse the next two games. He allowed four earned runs in just 2.1 innings of work in the 9-5 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 27 on the road and then five earned runs in 4.2 innings pitched in his last game against the San Diego Padres on Aug. 7 at home.
The Pirates called up right-handed pitcher Ryder Ryan and will give the franchise another starting pitcher in Gonzales' abscence.
