Pirates' Nick Gonzales answering questions with his bat since return from ankle injury

Nick Gonzales understands there’s a dichotomy in how he is perceived, so the Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman has learned to embrace his reputation as an undersized overachiever and a bonus baby who comes with the high expectations of a top-10 pick.

Gonzales is defying the odds this season, returning from a fractured left ankle that sidelined him for the first two months to become one of the Pirates’ most consistent hitters. He is batting .273/.326/.446 with five doubles, two triples, four home runs and 12 RBIs in 32 games.

His 42.6% hard-hit rate is at a career best, and his expected batting average (.294) and slugging percentage (.468) indicate he can be even better.

Not bad for a 5-foot-9, 200-pounder who has gone from walk-on at New Mexico State to being regarded as college baseball’s best hitter to being selected No. 7 overall in the 2020 MLB Draft. Gonzales has dealt with the ups and downs of trying to live up to his billing while dealing with setbacks that resulted from injuries and inconsistency.

“That’s been the story of my whole career, even when I was a kid,” Gonzales told TribLive. “I was kind of a smaller guy and didn’t really stand out by any means, so I was kind of an underdog my whole career, a walk-on and everything like that. I was a high pick but just set that aside pretty early. … There was a lot of questions that people wanted answers for. I’m just here to compete and be the best player I can be. That’s all I can do.”

After hitting a home run in the season opener, all Gonzales could do for the first two months of the season was watch. The discomfort of a nondisplaced fracture from a foul ball late in spring training became intolerable while rounding the bases against the Miami Marlins on March 27, so Gonzales was sidelined during a stint on the injured list.

Almost as painful as the injury for Gonzales was having the game taken from him. He got around first on a scooter, then a walking boot before he could start to take batting practice. He was even injured in the first game of his rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Indianapolis when hit by a pitch on his right hand and had to wait for the swelling to subside.

“It’s really tough not being able to swing and even to walk,” Gonzales said. “I’m trying not to make up for that time. Obviously, you miss two months, and it’s really easy to try to get back into the game and make up for the missed time. I’m not trying to do that. I’m just trying to perform and do what I can every single pitch and go from there. Adjustments need to be made as the season goes on. Unfortunately, I only have two months left.”

Gonzales has provided a boost to the batting order since returning June 3. In his third game back, he delivered a bases-loaded sacrifice fly for a 5-4 walk-off win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

“It’s sweet,” Pirates utility infielder Jared Triolo said. “We were missing him the whole season, after he got hurt the first game. Watching him work back from that injury, like I’ve seen him do a couple times in the minor leagues, was cool to see.”

Triolo believes Gonzales uses an underdog mentality and elite work ethic to his advantage to overcome the odds, whether it was in making swing adjustments in the minors or recovering from injuries.

“That’s the perfect way to put it,” Triolo said. “His head is not too big. He just puts his head down and works.”

It has paid off for Gonzales, who has had multiple hits eight times — a quarter of his games — and went a career-best 5 for 5 with two doubles and two RBIs in a 5-4 win June 23 at Milwaukee.

“He’s swinging the bat really well, especially after the start,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “He hits the home run (in the opener), on a broken foot, too. And to take that time to go through the rehab, which is always hard. But for him to bounce back the way that he has and swing the bat as well as he has — going to all fields, too — has been really impressive. He continues to get better.”

Nick Gonzales Go-Ahead Solo HR Top 7th

7/8 Pirates @ Royals
pic.twitter.com/sVlgj5tQmz

— MLB Clutch Home Runs 2025 (@clutch_mlbhrs) July 9, 2025

Gonzales has brought not only grit but some pop to the cleanup spot. He went 3 for 4 and was the only Pirates player with multiple hits in the 6-0 loss at Seattle on July 4, the start of their six-game losing streak. He went hitless in his next 12 at-bats while drawing a pair of walks before blasting a 427-foot home run to center field at Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday to give the Pirates a one-run lead in the seventh inning of a 4-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals.

“I think it’s showing up. The work that I’m putting in every day with the hitting coaches. It’s really close,” Gonzales said. “I felt that way last year and performed pretty well throughout the year. This year I had hopes to start the year and, unfortunately, got hurt. I’m just trying to pick up right where I left off, to continue to make the adjustments and be the player that I want to be and know I can be.”

That’s not just turning himself into a big leaguer, as Kelly said Gonzales has done, but one who believes he has the potential to be an All-Star second baseman. Gonzales knows he has to hit consistently — and, more importantly, stay healthy — to reach his goals.

After batting .270/.311/.398 with 19 doubles, three triples, seven homers and 49 RBIs in 94 games last year, he is taking another step in the right direction. Gonzales isn’t shy about sharing his lofty aspirations. He hopes to someday become the first Pirates player to win an NL batting crown since Freddy Sanchez hit .344 in 2006.

“I think that would be amazing, to be a batting champ,” Gonzales said. “Obviously, that’s depending on what I’m doing. If I’m impacting the ball at a high level and I’m driving the ball, you’ve got to take some chances. That comes with some swing and miss or whatever that may be. I just want to be a good all-around hitter.”