Pirates place pitcher Blake Cederlind on 60-day IL with elbow injury

Buried in the final paragraph of a team release to officially announce the previously reported signing of veteran pitcher Trevor Cahill was some ominous-sounding news regarding the future of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ bullpen.

Blake Cederlind was placed on the 60-day injured list because of a potentially serious injury to his (right) throwing elbow susffered during a Grapefruit League appearance against the New York Yankees on Wednesday. The Pirates characterized the injury as a strain of the ulnar collateral ligament. The famed and feared “Tommy John surgery” is the colloquial name for a UCL reconstruction, and general manager Ben Cherington was not ruling out that season-ending option.

“It’s an option. That doesn’t mean it will happen,” Cherington said during a video conference call with media.

“In all likelihood, he’ll get a second opinion, but when there is an injury to the UCL, that’s an option that’s on the table. We’ll see. We’ll remain hopeful that we’ll get more information and, ultimately, end up deciding we can manage it conservatively and give that a shot. So don’t want to get ahead of that. Don’t know. We need more information first, but I think we need to be aware that both of those things would be on the table, potentially.”

Blake Cederlind is making noise for the #Pirates, from his grunting on the mound when throwing a pitch to popping the catcher’s mitt with fastballs that can touch triple digits. https://t.co/fo4lzbO9gO

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) March 8, 2020

With his long blonde hair, audible grunts and intense facial expressions while on the mound, Cederlind was something of a phenomenon during 2020 Pirates spring training before it was shut down out of coronavirus concerns. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Cederlind regularly threw his two-seam fastball at 100 mph or more, touching 102 at times.

A 2016 fifth-round pick who turned 25 in January, Cederlind is considered a possible future major league closer. He had nine strikeouts with no hits or runs allowed in 4 2/3 spring innings last season. A positive covid-19 test delayed his “summer camp” with the Pirates after MLB resumed play, so Cederlind did not make his major league debut until Sept. 15. He did not allow a hit, walk or run in four of his five appearances (though he was touched up for four baserunners without getting an out in one of his outings).

After allowing one baserunner (a home run) over his first two outings this spring, Cederlind allowed a run on a hit and two walks Wednesday. It was after that game when he alerted the Pirates brain trust what he was feeling in his elbow.

“Obviously, anyone who saw the Yankee game (Wednesday), the first two or three hitters, his stuff was electric,” manager Derek Shelton said Friday. “The ball was coming out at 97, 98. The two sliders right off the bat were really good. So definitely in the competition (for a bullpen spot this season).

“It’s an unfortunate situation for him and for us. We just have to see what we have moving forward, in terms of what the doctors say.”

Pitching at four levels of the minors in 2018-19, Cederlind had 109 strikeouts in 109 innings. Another intriguing young hard-throwing righthander, Nick Burdi, had last season with the Pirates cut short because of what ended up as an injury that required Tommy John surgery. He is no longer part of the organization.

While Cederlind has long-term potential to be a late-inning reliever, the 2021 Pirates appear to have enough bullpen depth to weather the potential loss of one pitcher. Cherington said Friday the Pirates could end up with as many as nine relievers on the roster when the season starts April 1. Options among right-handers include veterans Kyle Crick, Richard Rodriguez, Edgar Santana, Michael Feliz and Chris Stratton along with less-proven righties David Bednar, Clay Holmes, Geoff Hartleib, James Marvel, Wil Crowe, Nick Mears and others.

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