News Pirates Team Notes

[Pittsburgh Pirates]

NL Central Notes: Gorman, Reynolds, Cubs

The Cardinals placed Nolan Gorman on the 10-day injured list yesterday (retroactive to April 2), and called up infielder Thomas Saggese from Triple-A in the corresponding roster move. Gorman is suffering from a right hamstring strain that he suffered while running the bases in last Tuesday’s game, though Gorman told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and other reporters that the strain is “super-mild.” While the injury prevents Gorman from fielding at the moment, he is still able to hit and catch, so he’ll be able to continue with baseball activities while on the IL.

Gorman has delivered four hits (including a homer and a double) in his first nine plate appearances of the season, as he enters what might be a pivot point in his young career. The former top prospect has shown flashes of his potential over his first three MLB seasons, but his production trailed off badly in 2024, to the point that the Cards optioned Gorman to Triple-A last August. The crowded nature of the Cards lineup also means that Gorman isn’t getting everyday playing time, and he’ll have to keep hitting in order to carve out more of a regular role. Missing time to an injury won’t help these endeavors, but it seems like Gorman might just miss the minimum 10 days.

More from around the NL Central…

• Bryan Reynolds has been limited to DH duty over the Pirates’ last four games, as the right fielder’s throwing ability has been hampered by right triceps soreness. There isn’t any indication that Reynolds will need an IL stint since he’s still able to hit, though Reynolds has slashed only .194/.237/.306 in his first 38 PA of the season. With Reynolds now in the designated hitter spot, regular DH Andrew McCutchen will be getting some more action in the outfield, after appearing in only 13 games as an outfielder over the previous two seasons. McCutchen welcomed the return to the grass and praised Reynolds’ toughness, telling MLB.com’s Alex Stumpf that “it shows the character of him and what he brings to the team. A lot of people would say, ’Give me an IL stint and I’ll come back.’ He’s still capable and able to swing it….Unfortunately, he’s not 100 percent already in the season, but he’s going to do his job, and we’re going to do our best to support that and not make him feel like he has to rush back.”
• Manager Craig Counsell provided the Chicago Sun-Times’ Maddie Lee and other reporters with updates on two players on the Cubs’ injured list. Utilityman Vidal Brujan has been set back by some continued soreness in his right elbow, though Counsell said an MRI showed “nothing substantial.” Right-hander Javier Assad had a two-inning outing in extended Spring Training yesterday, and should have two or three more similar outings before he starts a minor league rehab assignment. Assad missed all of Spring Training due to a left oblique strain, so he’ll need a good deal of ramp-up time before he is ready to be activated from the 15-day IL.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/04/nl-central-notes-gorman-reynolds-cubs.html

 

[Pittsburgh Pirates]

Pirates Place Colin Holderman On 15-Day Injured List

The Pirates announced that right-hander Colin Holderman has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a right knee sprain. Righty Chase Shugart has been called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.

The nature or severity of Holderman’s knee issue isn’t known, but if he has been trying to pitch through discomfort, that might explain his unimpressive numbers to date this season. After giving up a run in an inning of work in yesterday’s 10-4 Pirates loss to the Yankees, Holderman’s ERA stands at an ungainly 9.64 over 4 2/3 frames, and he also has a 16% walk rate.

Naturally, this is a pretty small sample size to gauge a pitcher who has been a reliable bullpen arm for the Bucs over the previous two seasons. Holderman posted a 3.52 ERA, 24.6% strikeout rate, and 9.7% walk rate over 107 1/3 innings in 2023-24, though his walk and barrel rates spiked considerably from 2023 to 2024. Holderman’s impressive 52.8% grounder rate in 2023 also dropped to 37.5% last year.

With Holderman on the IL and struggling closer David Bednar optioned to Triple-A, Pittsburgh is already without two key members of its late-inning mix. Dennis Santana now looks like the prime candidate for saves or highest-leverage work of any kind, while Justin Lawrence and Caleb Ferguson will factor into the late-inning workload as well. Shugart will also get his first MLB look with his new team, as the Pirates only just acquired Shugart in a trade with the Red Sox back in January.

Source: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/04/pirates-place-colin-holderman-on-15-day-injured-list.html