Nick Gonzales giveth; Nick Gonzales taketh away.
The second baseman's two-run homer gave Pittsburgh Pirates fans a brief moment of elation on Opening Day, but that moment disappeared as soon as he began to hobble around the bases.
Gonzales connected with a 1-0 fastball from Miami Marlins right-hander Lake Bachar to give the Pirates a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning of Thursday's Opening Day game in South Beach. His homer to left field also scored Joey Bart, who had reached base on a hit-by-pitch. However, while Bart trotted home with ease, Gonzales was clearly favoring his left ankle as he rounded the bases with apparent difficulty.
First home run of 2025 goes to Nick Gonzales 👏 pic.twitter.com/uIkSoM3o4c
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) March 27, 2025
Adam Frazier came in for Gonzales at second base in the bottom of the inning. A post from the Pirates' official team account on X revealed that Gonzales had been removed from the game due to "recurrent ankle discomfort" and that his status was day-to-day.
"It didn't look like he was moving well," Pirates manager Derek Shelton said after the game (via Greg Macafee of DK Pittsburgh Sports). "He felt well enough to swing in that situation, but watching him run around the bases, just didn't like what we saw."
Pirates hit with Nick Gonzales injury concern after insulting Opening Day
After the Pirates' bullpen blew the 4-1 lead and ultimately cost them the game in Miami, a potential Gonzales injury felt like the least of their concerns. Fortunately, postgame reports from the visiting clubhouse at loanDepot Park indicate that the injury may not be as serious as initially feared.
According to Macafee, Shelton said after the game that Gonzales hit two foul balls off the same ankle during the Pirates' Grapefruit League matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays on March 19. Macafee noted that Gonzales did have a bag of ice on his ankle in the clubhouse following that game in Port Charlotte, Fla., but that he also played in two of the Pirates' final four Grapefruit League games –— presumably, with no issue.
Gonzales didn't have any ice on his ankle in the clubhouse after Thursday's game and seemed to be moving normally, which is a positive sign. Whether he will be in the Pirates' lineup on Friday remains to be seen.