2 MLB Pipeline-ranked Pirates prospects unexpectedly land on 60-day Injured List

Injury news is the worst kind of news in sports, yet in baseball, it comes up very frequently. Jared Jones gave the Pirates a positive update this week, but other injury news arose about two top prospects in the organization that further clouded things ahead of Opening Day.

Carlson Reed and Tony Blanco Jr. have both been placed on the 60-day Injured List following spring training. That is a big blow to the lower portion of the minor leagues, especially given that both of those prospects are coming off solid seasons. They emerged as top-25 prospects in MLB Pipeline's recent top 30 for the Pirates, coming in at 20 and 21, respectively. Reed is the only one whose injury has been released to the public, and it does not seem awful, given the surprise lengthy IL reveal.

Carlson Reed and Tony Blanco Jr. are two ranked Pirates prospects, and they have hit the injured list to begin 2025.

"Right-handed pitching prospect Carlson Reed has been placed on the 60-day injured list due to an injury to his 'mid back'," Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted, after speaking with Todd Tomczyk, the Pirates' Director of Sports Medicine. "Reed is currently on 'do-not-throw' status, and is scheduled to pick up a baseball in two to three weeks. Once that begins, the 22-year-old pitching prospect will begin a build-up program to return to play."

Last season with Bradenton and Greensboro, Reed posted an ERA of 1.99 with a K/9 of 10.77 and a FIP of 3.28. His WHIP reached 1.08, stemming from an opposing batting average of .173 and a walk rate of 11.7%. Those are some excellent numbers for his first full professional season.

Blanco is just 19 years old and put together a solid season in rookie ball. In just 30 games, Blanco posted a wRC+ of 138 with an OPS of .891 and four home runs. He struck out at a 28.4% clip and walked at an 11% rate. At such a young age, he has already shown some of his great tools. It is a shame that he got hurt this early.

Hopefully these two can return soon enough. Reed and Blanco are both very significant prospects in the organization, and could be big pieces down the road.