Pirates Place Pitcher on 60-Day IL
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Coming off a year of rehab from Tommy John surgery, Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitcher Johan Oviedo will not break camp with the team later this month.
The Pirates have announced that Oviedo is being placed on the 60-day injured list, meaning is not eligible to return to the big league roster until the end of May.
The transaction will open up a 40-man roster spot for fellow right-hander Justin Lawrence, who was claimed off waivers from the Colorado Rockies earlier in the day.
We have claimed RHP Justin Lawrence off waivers from the Rockies.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) March 3, 2025
RHP Johan Oviedo has been placed on the 60-day injured list (return from right elbow injury and right lat strain) to make room for Lawrence on the 40-man roster.
Oviedo had yet to appear in a game this spring as Pittsburgh took things slow with the 27-year-old. He was expected to compete for a spot at the bottom of the team's rotation, though he'll have to wait until a later date to make an impact this season.
Acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for Jose Quintana and Chris Strattion at the trade deadline in 2022, Oviedo impressed with a 3.23 ERA and 3.47 FIP across seven starts totaling 30 2/3 innings for the Pirates that season.
As a full-time member of the club's staff in 2023, he logged a 4.31 ERA in 32 starts and 177 2/3 innings while posting 2.1 bWAR.
Update
As reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Andrew Destin, Pirates manager Derek Shelton revealed that Oviedo had a right lat issue pop up after his most recent live batting practice session, which contributed to the team's decision to place him on the IL in tandem with his recovery from Tommy John.
Jack is a New Jersey native who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh as a Media & Professional Communications major in 2024 who is now covering the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Yankees for On SI.