Pirates Infielder Returns from Injured List
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have one of their infielders back from injury and he'll play again soon.
Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that infielder Jared Triolo is back in the clubhouse at PNC Park and that he'll start at second base ahead of their their third game vs. the Washington Nationals on April 16.
Pittsburgh originally had Triolo at shortstop for their series finale vs. the New York Yankees at PNC Park on April 6. They would make a last-minute scratch, as they put back Isiah Kiner-Falefa at shortstop, putting Triolo on the bench.
They gave an update on Triolo, saying that they took him out due to lower back discomfort. They would then put Triolo on the 10-day Injured List on April 7 with a lumbar spine strain.
The Pirates announced on April 15 that Triolo started his rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis, as they took on the Toledo Mud Hens, the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers.
He would hit a solo home run in the first inning and singled in the sixth inning for another RBI in the 11-6 loss.
Triolo has played in six games for the Pirates this season, starting five of them. He started two games each at first base and second base and also one at third base. Had he started at shortstop like he was supposed to, he would've started all positions in the infield for the Pirates in the first 10 games.
He has struggled immensely from the plate, with just one hit in 17 at-bats, batting .059, with one walk and five strikeouts.
Triolo's best attributes come with his fielding, as he won a Rawling Sports Gold Glove for a National League Utility Player in 2024. He finished the season with six defensive runs saved and three outs above average across his 125 games played.
He played across the infield last season, but mostly spent time at third base, 61 games, and second base, 47 games. He also played nine games each at first base and shortstop and one game in right field.
Triolo slashed .216/.296/.315 for an OPS of .611, with 85 hits in 394 at-bats, 10 doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 46 RBIs and 42 walks to 118 strikeouts in 2024.
The Pirates called Triolo up on June 27, 2023, as they had an injury to third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes.
Triolo would hit .298/.388/.398 for an OPS of .785, with 54 hits in 181 at-bats, nine doubles, three home runs and 21 RBIs, with 24 walks to 63 strikeouts in 54 games.
The Pirates currently have two other infielders out, with second baseman Nick Gonzales going on the 10-day Injured List back on March 28 with a non-displaced fracture of the left ankle, and first baseman Spencer Horwitz progressing back from a right wrist injury that kept him out of Spring Training and the first 10 games of the season.
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.