MIAMI -- As Nick Gonzales gingerly ran the bases after his sixth-inning home run on Opening Day on Thursday, it was clear that he was not feeling 100%. Now the Pirates will be without their second baseman for at least the short term, as he was placed on the 10-day injured list before Friday's 4-3 win over the Marlins with a nondisplaced left ankle fracture, per manager Derek Shelton.
In Gonzales¡¯ place, the Pirates recalled utility man Enmanuel Valdez.
The club is sending Gonzales back to Pittsburgh to see a foot specialist, so there isn¡¯t a good estimate for how long he will be on the shelf. A nondisplaced fracture is a different type of injury than what Oneil Cruz experienced in 2023 when he fractured his left ankle, for comparison¡¯s sake.
Gonzales fouled multiple pitches off his ankle in a Spring Training game on March 19 at Port Charlotte, Fla., but he was able to go through workouts and finish out the spring without issue. Shelton mentioned postgame Thursday that the Pirates started to notice Gonzales looked a bit hobbled when fielding a popup in the bottom of the fifth, but he was still in a good enough spot to swing a bat the next half-inning. And it¡¯s hard to argue with the result -- a two-run shot to left field -- but he was lifted for Adam Frazier after a slower-than-normal trot around the bases.
"Just watching him run around the bases, just didn't like what we saw,¡± Shelton said after the game Thursday.
The Pirates were counting on Gonzales being a run producer this year after a solid 2024 campaign in which he slashed .270/.311/.398 with seven home runs and 49 RBIs over 94 games. A first-round pick in 2020, it seemed he had claimed the position as his own after a year of internal competition.
The injury comes at an inopportune time, as the Pirates are already down one player on the right side of their infield -- first baseman Spencer Horwitz (right wrist surgery). Endy Rodr¨ªguez started at first base the first two games of the season, but he¡¯s also going to need to take reps behind the plate to relieve Joey Bart. The other options on the roster are utility infielders Jared Triolo and Adam Frazier, who are also going to have to play second base.
Valdez adds some depth to the infield as well, though he has barely played first base (72 1/3 career Minor League innings, including 23 last season). He has primarily played second and third base, and was acquired this offseason from the Red Sox to add some depth to the infield. Valdez slashed .214/.270/.363 with six home runs and 28 RBIs over 223 plate appearances in the Majors, and he had a .776 OPS in 50 games at Triple-A Worcester.
While Valdez's Major League stats were lacking last season, his peripherals were encouraging. According to Baseball Savant, he registered better-than-average clips for average exit velocity (89.4 mph), barrel rate (9.2%), hard-hit percentage (41.8%) and whiff rate (22.1%).
¡°Versatility, left-handed ability to hit,¡± Shelton said Friday on what¡¯s appealing about Valdez. ¡°We knew he could hit when we acquired him. Valdy has shown the ability to hit. The fact that he can play all over the diamond is something that we kinda value.¡±
Valdez wasn¡¯t the Pirates¡¯ only option at second base. Nick Yorke, the team¡¯s No. 5 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, was one of the team¡¯s final cuts this Spring Training, and while his Grapefruit League stats weren¡¯t great (.206 batting average, .575 OPS in 42 plate appearances), he hit the ball hard (a team-best 95.4 mph average exit velocity). Yorke also took some reps at first base this spring, and he can play around the diamond. However, the Pirates didn¡¯t seem to want to deviate from the plan they have in place for him just yet.
¡°I think with Nick, we wanted to get him on the ground and get his feet moving a little bit,¡± Shelton said. ¡°Valdy has played in the big leagues. He has played in this role, although Nick Yorke has too. But I think right now, we saw a better fit at the current time.¡±