Pirates GM Stresses Urgency Amid Team's Early Struggles
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As the Pittsburgh Pirates fell to 12-22 and 10 games below .500 entering Sunday’s series finale against the San Diego Padres — in which they would go on to lose in a 4-0 shutout — general manager Ben Cherington made it clear that patience is no longer an option.
“We shouldn’t be patient. We should not be patient about getting better today, whatever that is,” Cherington said during his weekly appearance on 93.7 FM, the team’s radio flagship. “It certainly starts with me. It doesn’t end with me. It’s got to extend to everybody on our team, our staff, etc. We all have to be urgent and not patient about getting better.”
However, Cherington emphasized that urgency must be balanced with discipline to avoid short-term decisions that could hurt the team’s long-term progress.
“It’s doing both all the time,” Cherington said. “No, we shouldn’t be patient. We dug ourselves a hole. It’s not where we wanted to be at this point. I also still believe and really believe that we’ve got good baseball ahead of us. We’ve got to go do our jobs to make that happen.”
The Pirates have been hampered by injuries, but Cherington provided encouraging updates on several key players. Right-handed pitcher Jared Jones (elbow) has begun a throwing program, while first baseman Spencer Horwitz (right wrist) is on a rehab assignment at Double-A Altoona. Second baseman Nick Gonzales (left ankle), who suffered a non-displaced fracture in the season opener, could start his own rehab assignment soon.
“We hope (Gonzales) is days away from starting a rehab assignment,” Cherington said.
With shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa sidelined by a right hamstring strain, utility infielder Jared Triolo has taken over as the primary shortstop. Despite a slow start at the plate, Triolo has shown improvement, hitting .212 (7-for-33) with two doubles in his last 15 games.
“We brought up (Tsung-Che) Cheng earlier this year, so it was (Liover) Peguero’s turn. I expect at some point we’ll see him in there,” Cherington said. “But ‘Tri’ is going to get the majority of those starts while Izzy is out. And Tri has consistently showed us the defensive quality of his game. He can handle that position at a high level.”
Manager Derek Shelton echoed confidence in Triolo’s versatility, noting his strong defensive play at multiple positions.
“There’s really no place that I feel uncomfortable with Tri defensively — and that includes, well, not catcher — but even in the outfield,” Shelton said in a pre-game press conference. “He’s just a really good defender.”
Outfielder/first baseman Matt Gorski, who homered in his MLB debut on April 24, has seen limited playing time since. Cherington acknowledged the challenge but expects more opportunities for him.
Matt Gorski goes yard in his first MLB at-bat! pic.twitter.com/a0wT63AVHq
— MLB (@MLB) April 25, 2025
“It’s not easy for sure, but that is the situation that sometimes young players sometimes find themselves in,” Cherington said. “He’s on the team partly because he’s a threat offensively from the right side but also because he can play first base and not just corner outfield. If he was just a corner outfielder, he probably wouldn’t be on the team.”
Meanwhile, recent acquisition Alexander Canario has struggled (.074 average in 12 games), but Cherington remains optimistic.
“We believe in the offensive traits. We believe that he’s capable of producing offensively. He’s shown some flashes of that,” Cherington said. “At the same time, we signed Tommy Pham for a reason… We want to see that through.”
As the Pirates look to climb out of their early-season hole, Cherington’s message is clear: urgency is required, but not at the expense of long-term success.
Ethan Merrill is from Grand Rapids, MI, and brings with him a diverse background of experiences. After graduating from Michigan State University with a degree in journalism, he worked with the Arizona Diamondbacks for three seasons before settling in the Pittsburgh area in 2020. With a passion for sports and a growing connection to his community, Ethan brings a fresh perspective to covering the Pittsburgh Pirates.