The story of Steven Brault's 'stupid shoulder': Lefty could pitch piggyback for Pirates

Steven Brault is anything but shy, so it was no surprise the left-hander had a candid response for his potential role on the Pittsburgh Pirates pitching staff.

Where Pirates manager Derek Shelton has hinted he could get creative with the fifth spot in the starting rotation, Brault revealed there have been discussions to have him “piggyback” starts with right-hander Chad Kuhl, who is returning after missing last season with Tommy John surgery.

One would start the game and pitch the first four or five innings, with the other coming on in long relief, though Brault warned the reliever typically doesn’t enter the game in the middle of an inning.

“The piggyback thing is just a little bit weird, but we’ve all done it. In the minor leagues, it’s not that uncommon,” Brault said. “If that’s what we end up doing, it’s not going to be too weird. It’s just more of a cemented thing of when you’re going to come into the game. … But I’ve done the bullpen thing. I’ve done the starting thing. So I might as well try doing something that’s in the middle.”

??? pic.twitter.com/SDxCzBmbyi

— Pirates (@Pirates) July 5, 2020

A strain in his throwing shoulder has bothered Brault since last season, when he missed a month. Brault had bounced back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen, so he tried to work through it to keep his starting role. Eventually, the pain caused him to leave in the fifth inning against Milwaukee on July 5 and spend a stint on the IL.

“We worked through it for about a month, and then I, obviously, had to come out in the middle of a game because it was killing me,” Brault said. “Since then it had been off and on. I would throw sometimes, and it would be great, no problem. Sometimes it would hurt.”

It showed on the scoresheet. After starting the season 3-1 with a 4.15 ERA, Brault went 3-7 with a 6.32 ERA in 10 starts over the final two months. The tightness in his left shoulder returned in spring training and bothered Brault to where he said he could feel it build up until it couldn’t get loose, even when he tried to massage it.

“It just would not budge,” Brault said. “So that’s when I knew something was exactly wrong.”

The Pirates shut him down in spring training, and Brault refrained from throwing for six weeks. The coronavirus pandemic allowed him valuable time to not only heal but work on the mechanics of his delivery. He was intentional in taking his time to return, knowing he would have months to work back into game condition.

Brault started by strengthening his legs to build a solid foundation. He focused on three things: getting his arm into a “more sturdy position” for his shoulder on his release, trying not to lean over in his delivery — he had a tendency to drop down and sling the ball back — and being stronger on his front leg so he doesn’t fall forward and throw his elbow out front.

“It’s a process of eliminating small issues,” Brault said. “A lot of it was focused in my lower half, to prevent my shoulder from ever barking like it was again.”

Brault is working his way from bark to bite, slowly increasing his workload to where he has thrown a bullpen and two innings of live batting practice. He has built up to 45 or so pitches, with plans to throw three innings Wednesday, in hopes of being ready to potentially piggyback a start with Kuhl when the season begins.

“That’s the story of my stupid shoulder,” Brault said, with a sly grin. “Thanks for listening to my TED Talk.”