Pirates Give Injury Update on Nick Gonzales
In this story:
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates haven't had their starting second baseman play in almost a week after he suffered an injury.
Nick Gonzales hit a two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning in the Pirates home opener vs. the Miami Marlins on March 27, giving his team a 4-1 lead.
He ran around the bases, but with a limp, as it was clear he hurt something during his home run trot. The Pirates would take Gonzales out of the game, with Adam Frazier coming in at second base.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton said after the game that he suffered some pain from two foul balls off his left ankle against the Tampa Bay Rays on March 19. He also didn't like what he saw from him running around the bases, so he had to make the change.
Pittsburgh placed Gonzales on the 10-day Injured List on March 28 with a non-displaced fracture of the left ankle, with Enmanuel Valdez coming up as his replacement.
Todd Tomczyk, the Pirates senior director of sports medicine and he gave an update on Gonzales, the first since his injury.
He said that Gonzales is in Pittsburgh, that is he is non-weight bearing and currently in a walking boot, using a scooter to get around. He is also in a seated position when doing catching and is doing upper-body lifts with lower body lifts that are modified.
"We are going to repeat CT scans, serial imaging in several weeks. At that point, we’ll have a better prognosis on a return to play calendar," Tomczyk said to Greg Macafee of DK Pittsburgh Sports.
Gonzales had a solid campaign for the Pirates in 2024, slashing .270/.311/.398, with 97 hits, 19 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 49 RBIs with 18 walks to 74 strikeouts in 94 games.
He played just 35 games for the Pirates in 2023, after they called him up for the first time on June 23. He slashed .209/.268/.348, with 24 hits, eight doubles, one triple, two home runs, 13 RBIs and six walks.
Gonzales hails from Vail, Ariz., 24 miles southeast of Tucson, and played for Cienega High School. He hit .399 during his time with Cienega.
He would commit to New Mexico State and starred for his team, hitting .347 as a freshman in 2018 and then a Division 1 leading .432 in 2019. He also hit .448 as a junior in 2020, before the NCAA cancelled all spring sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Pirates selected Gonzales with seventh overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft. He would join the franchise on a $5.4 million and didn't play in 2020 as the MiLB cancelled the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He played for the Greensboro Grasshoppers at High Single-A in 2021, slashing .303/.385/.565 for an OPS of .950 with 98 hits, 23 doubles, four triples, 18 home runs, 54 RBIs and 40 walks in 80 games.
Gonzales moved up to the Altoona Curve at Double-A in 2022, slashing .263/.383/.429 with 68 hits, 20 doubles, one triple and seven home runs.
He moved up again to the Indianapolis Indians at Triple-A in 2023, slashing .283/.379/.507 with 106 hits, 27 doubles, eight triples, 14 home runs, 49 RBIs and 53 walks in 99 games.
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.