Pirates dealt costly injury in weekend series that could affect trade deadline plans

The Pittsburgh Pirates were hit with an untimely injury this past weekend when they placed second baseman Nick Gonzales on the 10-day injured list Sunday due to a left groin strain. But it might as well have been the 30-day list.

According to MLB.com’s Alex Stumpf, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on a local radio show over the weekend that Gonzales' recovery period is likely to be a long one that will be “measured in weeks, not days.”

It's a tough blow for the Pirates, as Gonzales has had second base locked down at this point in the season while also providing timely hitting for a batting order that has been mediocre at best. Gonzales, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, has slashed .258/.293/.387 this season, his first as an MLB regular.

He has cooled off considerably after a hot start to the season, with his numbers dropping to .235/.259/.330 (61 wRC+) since the calendar flipped to June, but he has come in clutch in Pittsburgh's recent series wins over the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals.

His offensive numbers might not jump off the page, but Gonzales is still a clear improvement over Pittsburgh's other options at second base. Jared Triolo has gotten reps at second since Gonzales went down with the injury, but he is slashing an abysmal .198/.272/.266 at the plate this year. The Pirates also re-called Alika Williams from Triple-A Indianapolis in the wake of Gonzales' injury, but his slash line of .210/.234/.290 in 68 major-league plate appearances this season isn't markedly better than Triolo's.

Pirates could look to explore external additions at second base (but they probably won't)

With Gonzales expected to miss significant time, the Pirates still have a limited opportunity to seek an external upgrade to their middle infield before the July 30 MLB trade deadline. But with Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Isaac Paredes already on the move to new teams, there don't figure to be too many more second basemen available on the trade market.

If the Pirates really wanted to make a move, they could go after Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner, New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres, or Toronto Blue Jays infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa – players who are rumored to be available but are still far from guaranteed to be on the move. Based on Cherington's noncommittal attitude toward the trade deadline, however, don't get your hopes up.

Regardless, even if the Pirates don't look to upgrade at second base, the loss of Gonzales makes their need for offense all the more pressing. They’ve been connected to plenty of other hitters ahead of the deadline, including Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward and Chicago White Sox outfielder, Tommy Pham – either of whom would be upgrades over Pirates' existing options to replace Gonzales in the batting order.

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