Kevin Gorman stories, Page 59
Pirates place catcher Austin Hedges on 7-day concussion IL, add Tyler Heineman as backup
After using eight players at the position last season, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ catching carousel has started early. The Pirates placed Austin Hedges on the seven-day concussion injured list Tuesday and selected the contract of Tyler Heineman, who will join Jason Delay as the backstops while Hedges is out. To make...
‘You can be (ticked) off’: Henry Davis, Pirates prospects motivated by assignment to Altoona
ALTOONA — Henry Davis was blunt as could be about his minor-league assignment, starting this season with the Altoona Curve again after finishing last year with the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Double-A affiliate. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, the 23-year-old catcher doesn’t dance around any notions that...
Henry Davis, Liover Peguero to start at Altoona as Pirates announce minor league rosters
ALTOONA — The Pittsburgh Pirates announced their minor league assignments Monday, revealing that MLB Pipeline top 10 prospects Henry Davis and Liover Peguero will return to Double-A Altoona to start the season. Davis, the No. 1 overall pick in 2021, slashed .207/.324/.379 but played in only 31 games after being...
Reds homer twice off Pirates starter Vince Velasquez to win opening weekend series
The Pittsburgh Pirates like the pitch repertoire right-hander Vince Velasquez offers but believe he needs to stay in the strike zone to be effective as a starting pitcher. Just not up in the zone. Velasquez surrendered a pair of solo home runs in his Pirates debut as the Cincinnati Reds...
Pirates move starter JT Brubaker to 60-day IL, claim righty reliever Edwin Uceta off waivers
The Pittsburgh Pirates don’t know the severity of JT Brubaker’s arm injury except that it’s serious enough to keep him out of the starting rotation for the next two months. The 29-year-old right-hander, who left spring training with right elbow/forearm discomfort, was moved from the 15-day injured list to the...
Analysis: Pirates would be better to pay Bryan Reynolds’ asking price than include an opt-out
Asked if he could envision signing a player to a $100 million contract in the near future, Pirates chairman Bob Nutting told the Tribune-Review that it was “definitely inside the realm of possibility.” Nutting knew that it would be met with skepticism by a fan base that views him as...
Last to make Pirates roster, reliever Rob Zastryzny’s 1st Opening Day worth the wait
CINCINNATI — Rob Zastryzny wanted to absorb the atmosphere of his first Opening Day but was trying to keep his emotions in check after days of uncertainty if he even would make the Pittsburgh Pirates. A non-roster invitee to spring training, the 31-year-old left-hander’s status was the ultimate cliffhanger. Zastryzny...
Despite reported ‘agreement on dollars,’ Pirates, Bryan Reynolds fail to extend contract
CINCINNATI — The deadline for a deal passed without the Pittsburgh Pirates and Bryan Reynolds finalizing a contract extension, which the star outfielder wanted to complete by first pitch on Opening Day. MLB insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post tweeted Thursday afternoon that “while there’s agreement on dollars”...
Oneil Cruz shines as Pirates rally past Reds for Opening Day win
CINCINNATI — The first Opening Day for Oneil Cruz will go down as one to remember, as the Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop started their scoring with a solo home run and ended it by driving in the winning run. The 6-foot-7 shortstop went 1 for 2 with two runs scored and...
Pirates notebook: Rookies offer different reactions to starting nods on Opening Day
CINCINNATI — Ji Hwan Bae was surprised to see his name in the Opening Day lineup at second base for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Canaan Smith-Njigba wasn’t surprised at all to be starting in right field. Derek Shelton had different reasons for starting a pair of rookies Thursday against the Cincinnati...
Pirates notebook: Ke’Bryan Hayes hoping for a healthy Opening Day, Mitch Keller’s wait is over
CINCINNATI — Ke’Bryan Hayes is hoping for an Opening Day that more closely resembles his first than his last, even though he has 70 million reasons to feel the opposite. If the Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman prefers the two-run homer he hit as a rookie in the 2021 opener against...
Entering 4th season as manager, Derek Shelton expects that Pirates ‘have a team that’s better’
CINCINNATI — Derek Shelton sat in the visiting dugout at Great American Ball Park on the eve of Opening Day, believing his fourth season managing the Pittsburgh Pirates finally will bring progress. If that’s received with a shrug, it’s because Shelton’s first three seasons have been a bit of a...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Johan Oviedo uses positive spin to earn starting role for Pirates
Even though the Pittsburgh Pirates’ rotation appeared set at the start of spring training and his bet to make the Opening Day roster was as a reliever, Johan Oviedo was absolutely positive that he wanted to be a starting pitcher. The 25-year-old right-hander worked in a relief role for the...
Canaan Smith-Njigba hits 3-run homer, but Twins top Pirates in spring training finale
Canaan Smith-Njigba earned a spot on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Opening Day roster with a strong spring, then showed why with one swing when he hit a three-run, opposite-field home run for the lead in the sixth inning. The Minnesota Twins rallied late for a 7-5 win Tuesday afternoon in the...
Pirates reveal key roster moves for Opening Day
Jason Delay won the three-man battle to be the backup catcher, and a pair of rookies — infielder Ji Hwan Bae and outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba — will join the Pittsburgh Pirates when they travel to Cincinnati for the season opener, a source confirmed Tuesday morning to the Tribune-Review. The Pirates...
Pirates suffer a starting pitching blow with JT Brubaker likely headed to IL, lose to Twins
Just when the starting rotation appeared to be set for the start of the season, the Pittsburgh Pirates were dealt a major blow. Manager Derek Shelton said that right-hander JT Brubaker, who led the team in strikeouts last season, is likely to begin the season on the injured list with...
Previewing the Pirates: Rodolfo Castro at 2B could be the final piece of the starting lineup
For all of the talk by the Pittsburgh Pirates about competition in spring training, only one position was truly up for grabs. That was at second base, with a handful of candidates for the starting job. Rodolfo Castro announced from the outset his intention to create separation from Ji Hwan...
Pirates make more cuts, clearing way for Ji Hwan Bae, Canaan Smith-Njigba to make team
The Pittsburgh Pirates cleared room for rookies Ji Hwan Bae and Canaan Smith-Njigba to possibly make the Opening Day roster with moves that should settle their utility positions. The Pirates optioned infielder/outfielder Mark Mathias, acquired from Texas on March 8, to Triple-A Indianapolis, and reassigned infielders Drew Maggi and Chris...
Pirates will wear City Connect series uniforms against Padres in June
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced Monday that they will wear their City Connect series uniforms for the first time when they play the San Diego Padres on June 27 at PNC Park. The Pirates are one of six major league teams participating in the Nike MLB City Connect program, created to...
Pirates demote OF Miguel Andujar, LHP Angel Perdomo
The Pittsburgh Pirates made two roster moves Sunday, reassigning outfielder Miguel Andujar and left-handed reliever Angel Perdomo to their minor-league camp. Andujar signed a $1.525 million guaranteed contract last fall but likely will start the season with Triple-A Indianapolis. He was competing with Connor Joe and Canaan Smith-Njigba for the...
Connor Joe leaves game after being hit in left hand by pitch as Pirates lose to Braves
Connor Joe looked like a lock to make the Opening Day roster for the Pittsburgh Pirates before being hit by a pitch in the sixth inning Sunday afternoon against the Atlanta Braves. Joe, an outfielder/first baseman acquired last fall from Colorado, started in left field but left the game after...
Previewing the Pirates: Starting pitchers Mitch Keller, JT Brubaker ready to take another step
From the outset of spring training, Mitch Keller made no secret of his goals for this season. The Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander wanted to be the Opening Day starter and become the anchor for the starting rotation. Keller can check the first item off his bucket list when the Pirates play...
Orioles rough up Wil Crowe with 4-run 7th inning to beat Pirates
The Pirates got a strong start from right-hander Vince Velasquez, who became their third pitcher to record seven strikeouts this spring, but they didn’t have an answer for Ryan O’Hearn. O’Hearn went 3 for 4, including a solo home run, and scored three runs to lead the Baltimore Orioles to...
‘It’s time to start getting better’: Pirates GM Ben Cherington drives home new expectations
Before Ben Cherington could contemplate what type of expectations he has for the Pittsburgh Pirates this season, he first recalled what it was like to endure the brutal past three years as general manager. After compiling the worst record in baseball during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, the Pirates made the...
Connor Joe, Mark Mathias get Pirates off to hot start in tie vs. Tigers
A pair of players fighting for a roster spot got the Pittsburgh Pirates got off to a good start and one of their competitors provided a strong finish. Where Connor Joe and Mark Mathias spotted the Pirates an early three-run lead, Ji Hwan Bae rallied them by scoring a ninth-inning...
