Pittsburgh Pirates: Good News on Miguel Yajure

The Pittsburgh Pirates pitching staff has taken blows this year. There was a scare on a prospect but he appears to be making progress.

When Ben Cherington and the Pittsburgh Pirates traded Jameson Taillon away to the New York Yankees he was coming off his second Tommy John surgery.  In return one of the prospects was Migue Yajure, who ranked in FanGraphs top 100 and was seen as Major League ready (he debuted in 2020).  Yajure is the Pirates top pitching prospect in Triple A and a top three pitching prospect in the organization.  While Roansy Contreras and Maikel Escotto are breaking out, the right hander is the closest player to providing innings to the club.

Well, similar to Taillon, Yajure had a Tommy John surgery in the past.  When he got placed on the Injured List  with right elbow discomfort there was some concern.  If he needed a second Tommy John the outlook of his career changes. He will likely cement himself into the starting rotation this summer, with his control being the standout trait.

The good news is that according to Cherington, Yajure is symptom free and will begin his rehab assignment in Bradenton.  He’s done plyo ball work to build up some more strength.  On the season, Yajure has pitched 26.1 innings between the Pirates and Triple-A Indianapolis.  In those 26.1 innings he has a 3.76 ERA with 25 strikeouts and eight walks.  Jake Crouse, the Pirates beat writer for MLB.com tweeted:

With Yajure getting back healthy that’s a positive for the Pirates.  He is a big part of the future pitching staff as he profiles to be a number four starter.  A second Tommy John surgery would’ve been detrimental and the Yajure looks to be close to returning to Indianapolis after being built up again.  He will likely be in the Pirates rotation later this summer.