Pirates dodge nightmare scenario after Brandon Lowe injury concern

For a few minutes Saturday night, it felt like the Pittsburgh Pirates' season might have taken a devastating turn.

When Brandon Lowe fouled a pitch directly off his right knee during his final at-bat in the ninth inning against the Atlanta Braves, the immediate reaction wasn't outright panic as Lowe collapsed in pain and had to be helped off the field. Given his history, that fear was understandable. The last time Lowe took a foul ball off that same knee in September 2023, it resulted in a fractured kneecap that ended his season.

Considering Lowe has been arguably the Pirates' most valuable position player through the first two months of the season, the possibility of losing him for an extended period was a nightmare scenario. Thankfully, though, it appears that nightmare won't become reality.

According to Pirates insider Jason Mackey, Lowe received encouraging results from a CT scan and believes he avoided any significant structural damage. Greg Brown's video of Lowe jogging on the field Sunday morning only added to the optimism that the injury is more bruise than break. For a Pirates team preparing for a massive upcoming series against the Dodgers, that's enormous news.

Pirates call up Davis Wendzel, option Jhostynxon Garcia amid Brandon Lowe injury scare

Lowe has been everything Pittsburgh hoped for and more since arriving during the offseason. His .848 OPS leads the team, while his 15 home runs and 41 RBI rank among the best at his position across Major League Baseball. Among qualified second basemen, only Milwaukee's Brice Turang owns a higher OPS.

More importantly, Lowe has become one of the emotional leaders of this club. The veteran's championship experience, professional approach and steady presence have helped stabilize a Pirates roster suddenly carrying legitimate postseason expectations.

That's why fans immediately feared the worst when Davis Wendzel appeared in the clubhouse Sunday and Jhostynxon Garcia's locker had been cleared out. The assumption was obvious: Lowe was headed to the injured list. Instead, the roster move appears more likely to be about precaution than panic.

With Ryan O'Hearn back healthy, Garcia's playing time had become increasingly limited. Meanwhile, Wendzel gives Pittsburgh additional infield depth while Lowe manages what sounds like a painful but relatively minor knee injury.

The Pirates needed to make a corresponding 40-man roster move to add Wendzel, so they transferred reliever Chris Devenski from the 15-day to the 60-day IL. Still, that's a much better problem to have than replacing an All-Star-caliber second baseman for weeks or months.

Nothing is official yet, and Lowe will probably need a few days before returning to the lineup. But after Saturday night's scare, the Pirates can finally breathe a sigh of relief. The worst-case scenario appears to have been avoided.

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