Pirates Injury News
OF Bryan Reynolds added to bereavement list; INF/OF Ji Hwan Bae recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis
Reynolds, the Pirates’ most productive hitter this season, was added to bereavement list on Friday. He was a late scratch against the Cardinals on Thursday with back spasms.
Bae will fill the void. The 25-year-old is slashing .373/.421/.510 this month in Triple-A and was 5-for-24 in eight games with the Pirates this season.
2B Nick Gonzales (groin discomfort) lands on 10-day injured list; SS Alika Williams recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis
Gonzales departed Saturday’s game in the sixth inning after grounding out and coming up lame as he ran down the first-base line. General manager Ben Cherington described the injury as a matter of “weeks, not days.” Cherington pointed out Ji Hwan Bae as a potential internal option to get reps at second, while Jared Triolo drew the start Sunday. The club also has Liover Peguero at Triple-A and approximately 48 hours until the Trade Deadline.
Gonzales has emerged as a key member of the lineup during his second big league campaign, while also providing terrific defensive value at the keystone (3.6 UZR per FanGraphs, tops among all big league second basemen).
Williams was recalled taking Gonzales’ place on the active roster prior to first pitch Sunday. The 25-year-old, who has made starts at three different infield spots in his career, hasn’t appeared in a game for the Bucs since May 29 and has since hit .327 with a .422 on-base percentage for Triple-A Indianapolis.
1B Rowdy Tellez day to day with backs spasms
Tellez exited with a stiff back after popping out in the third inning of Friday’s game against the D-backs. Manager Derek Shelton kept Tellez out of the lineup Saturday and added that he wasn’t sure if the power-hitting first baseman was available off the bench but did see action on Sunday.
RHP Hunter Stratton activated off 15-day IL; LHP Josh Fleming designated for assignment
Stratton said this was the first time in his career he suffered an injury at any level. He made three appearances as part of his rehab assignment between the Pirates’ Florida Complex League team and Single-A Bradenton with no issues and will be available immediately out of the bullpen.
Fleming had a 4.02 ERA heading in 25 games, including three starts.