Pirates Infield News Means Return Coming in Near Future
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have mostly had luck when it's come to their lack of injuries this season and could have a fully healthy squad with one player making his way back.
Pirates infielder Jared Triolo begins his rehab assignment with Single-A Bradenton on April 24, as they face the Clearwater Threshers, Single-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla.
Triolo hasn't featured in a game for the Pirates since the home opener vs. the Baltimore Orioles on April 3, a 5-4 victory at PNC Park three weeks ago, following an injury to his patellar tendon.
He suffered that injury while rounding third base on the RBI-double from shortstop Konnor Griffin, but stayed in the game before going on the injured list on April 5.
The Pirates now have a path for their best defensive infielder to return in the coming weeks, especially as they're in the middle of a tight race in the National League Central Division.
When Triolo Could Return for the Pirates
Triolo starting his rehab assignment is a big step towards him making his full return to the Pirates at the major league level, but it doesn't mean he'll come back the next day.
The 28-year old will play a few games with Bradenton, but then move his way up through High-A Greensboro, Double-A Altoona and then Triple-A Indianapolis, before he plays again for the Pirates.
How long he'll need depends on how he's feeling from his injury, which is mostly focused on him running and moving around, making sure he's healthy enough to fully exert himself and not hold anything back.
The plan for Triolo was him going down to Florida to run the bases, so as long as he's good doing that, the Pirates will allow him to continue making progress with his return.
A likely return for Triolo could come as early as next week, such as the series vs. the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park next weekend, but a better estimate would be for the west coast trip to face the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants, May 5-10.
Who Has Filled in For Triolo During His Injury
The Pirates had Triolo at shortstop before moving him to third base when they called up Griffin for his MLB debut.
Griffin is now the shortstop and both Nick Yorke and Nick Gonzales have served as the third baseman for the Pirates in Triolo's absence.
Yorke has had a solid season for the Pirates and even made some strong defensive plays at third base, a position he had little experience at before this season.
Gonzales has moved around the infield, featuring at both third base and shortstop, but also at second base too, giving breaks to Griffin and then Brandon Lowe at second base when needed.
It's likely Triolo takes over at third base when he's fully healthy, as he's a Gold Glove Award winner as a utility player and is fantastic defensively at the position, with 13 defensive runs saved (DRS) and nine outs above average (OAA).
The Pirates will want to see Triolo hit with more consistency, but there's no doubt they'll want his defensive impact in the left side of the infield.
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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.