Pirates Injured Infielder Returns to Second Base vs. Nationals
In this story:
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates will have one of their mainstays in the infield back for their third game against the Washington Nationals at PNC Park.
Jared Triolo is starting at second base against the Nationals, making his first start since he also started second base vs. the New York Yankees in the home opener on April 4, and will hit sixth.
He was supposed to start shortstop vs. the Yankees in the series finale on April 6, but he got injured right before the game, with Pirates manager Derek Shelton saying postgame that Triolo's "back locked up."
Triolo went on the 10-day Injured List on April 7 with a lumbar spine strain and prospect Tsung-Che Cheng came up in his place.
He would field at PNC Park on April 14 and then did a one game rehab assignment at Triple-A Indianapolis on April 15 and is now back with the Pirates, as they activated him off the Injured List and sent Cheng down to Indianapolis.
Andrew McCutchen returns to the starting lineup at right field and will hit third in the lineup. This is the sixth time that McCutchen has started in right field in 2025.
Tommy Pham will move from right field to left field, as Jack Suwinski heads to the bench. Pham will also move up from sixth to fifth in the lineup.
Ke'Bryan Hayes will leadoff for the fourth time this season and the first time since April 7 against the St. Louis Cardinals at home.
Oneil Cruz, who leadoff the past two games against the Nationals, will hit fourth in the lineup in this game.
Enmanuel Valdez stays at first base for the third straight game, but will hit seventh instead of fourth as he did the past two games.
Isiah Kiner Falefa will also stay on at shortstop and hit seventh in the lineup, while Bryan Reynolds continues on at designated hitter and second in the batting order.
Henry Davis will play catcher again, as Endy Rodríguez is on the Injured List and Joey Bart is dealing with back issues.
Left-handed pitcher Bailey Falter gets the start with first pitch set for 6:40 p.m.
Pittsburgh Pirates Starting Lineup vs. the Washington Nationals
3B Ke'Bryan Hayes
DH Bryan Reynolds
RF Andrew McCutchen
CF Oneil Cruz
LF Tommy Pham
2B Jared Triolo
SS Isiah Kiner-Falefa
1B Enmanuel Valdez
C Henry Davis
Game 3 vs. the Nationals.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 16, 2025
📺 @SNPittsburgh
📻 @937theFan | The PRN#LetsGoBucs x @bet365_us pic.twitter.com/R1rruXYVnA
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.