Pirates Make Injury Decision on Seth Hernandez
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have one of the best pitching prospects in baseball in Seth Hernandez, but they'll have to wait before he takes the mound again.
The Pirates are putting their star right-handed pitching prospect on the injured list, per Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com.
Hernandez dealt with pain in his left oblique after his most recent start for High-A Greensboro against Winston-Salem (Chicago White Sox) on the road on July 24, where he threw three innings.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on July 26 that the three innings were scheduled for Hernandez and that they were still learning about the injury when he spoke to local media.
What Concern Should Pirates Have Over Hernandez
The Pirates know how careful they must be with Hernandez, as they view him as a future ace in their rotation in the coming years.
Hernandez pitched for Corona High School in Corona, Calif. the past two seasons, but didn't have the same workload he has right now in the minor leagues.
Between Single-A Bradenton and Greensboro, Hernandez has pitched 74 innings, which is close to the almost 110 combined innings he threw as a junior in 2024 and a senior in 2025.
Hernandez has everything the Pirates would want, a fastball that touches 100 mph, a slider in the low 90s with great break, plus incredible movement on his changeup, almost like a "parachute", per catcher Rafael Flores Jr., and a curveball that plays as well.
The Pirates also want to make sure that Hernandez doesn't throw his arm out or suffer a serious injury, setting his development back and preventing him from making his MLB debut in the next couple of years.
Managing Hernandez is a big challenge for the Pirates and one they now have to be even more careful with after this latest injury.
Seth Hernandez Excelling in 2026
Hernandez has dominated in his first professional season, posting a 6-1 record over 18 starts, a 2.43 ERA over 74.0 innings pitched, 118 strikeouts to 31 walks, a .181 BAA and a 1.05 WHIP.
His play made him the top right-handed pitching prospect per MLB Pipeline and the second-best per Baseball America.
It also landed him in the Futures Game, where he threw a scoreless second inning, and represented the Pirates for the National League with outfielder prospect Edward Florentino.
The Pirates already have a strong rotation in the likes of 2025 National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes, 2026 All-Star Braxton Ashcraft, veteran Mitch Keller, rising rookie Bubba Chandler and the recent comeback of Jared Jones.
Hernandez joining that group would make for an even better rotation and pitching staff in the upcoming seasons.
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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.