Pirates' Nick Gonzales suffers freak injury on home run, hits 10-day IL
The Pittsburgh Pirates were only a few innings into the regular season and a freak injury on opening day already threw a wrench into the team’s lineup.
Pirates infielder Nick Gonzales played in 94 games last season and hit .270 with an OPS of .709. He was expected to make an impact in his third year with Pittsburgh this season, but those hopes were dashed against the Miami Marlins on Thursday afternoon.
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Gonzales hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning of the team’s 5-4 loss to the Marlins. As the broadcast tracked the big fly over the fence, Gonzales was seen hobbling around first base.
After the game, manager Derek Shelton said Friday Gonzales suffered a "non-displaced fracture of the left ankle." He was placed on the 10-day injured list.
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Gonzales was originally injured when he fouled a ball off his ankle in spring training. The team called up Enmanuel Valdez from Triple-A Indianapolis to fill the roster spot.
The 25-year-old Gonzales can play second base and shortstop. He was selected in the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft and made his major league debut in 2023. He hit .209 with 13 RBI in 35 games in his first season.
Last year, Gonzales had seven home runs and 49 RBI to go with his solid hitting in 387 plate appearances.
Baseball Reference projected Gonzales to hit .259 with 49 RBI in 406 plate appearances.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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