Pirates Rookie Wilber Dotel Taking Big Step in Injury Return
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates haven't had one of their rookie arms for the past couple of weeks, but that looks like it will change soon.
Pirates right-handed pitcher Wilber Dotel starts his rehab assignment with Double-A Altoona on June 27, where he'll face off against Reading (Philadelphia Phillies) for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch at Peoples Natural Gas Park.
Dotel went on the 15-day injured list back on June 13 with a right lat muscle strain and hasn't pitched for the Pirates the past two weeks.
This news shows that Dotel is close to finally rejoining the Pirates, a surprise with an injury that can sideline players for the long-term.
Pirates Optimistic Dotel Makes Quick Return
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington spoke about Dotel after his injury on his radio show and showed optimism, as they thought they got his injury early.
Dotel expressed discomfort after his last outing, where he gave up four earned runs over 1.2 innings in the 8-3 defeat to the Miami Marlins at PNC Park on June 12.
It was a rough week for Dotel, who had also given up six earned runs and got no outs in the seventh inning of a 12-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC Park on June 9.
Dotel quickly started his rehab and threw a two-up, 30 pitch bullpen back on June 23, with the Pirates hoping they could get him some action this weekend.
He'll return to the same ballpark where he pitched all of 2025, posting a 2-3 record across 13 starts, a 4.30 ERA over 60.2 innings pitched, 64 strikeouts to 24 walks, a .225 batting average allowed (BAA) and a 1.22 WHIP.
What Pirates Need From Dotel in Return
Dotel was excellent to start out his MLB career, with a 1.08 ERA over 16.2 innings pitched over his first seven appearances with the Pirates.
He showed himself as a valuable middle relief/bulk relief option, taking on larger innings workloads, thanks to his time spent as a starting pitcher in the minor leagues.
Dotel coupled this with a four-seam fastball that reached 100 mph, as well as his cutter, slider and changeup for great success.
He posted three outings where he threw three scoreless innings in each of them, giving up just two hits and two walks and getting 11 strikeouts. These came against the Chicago Cubs at on May 25 and the Minnesota Twins on May 29, both at PNC Park, as well as against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on June 2.
If Dotel can get back to those kind of outings and use his pitch mix to his best, then he should feature once again as a key part of the Pirates bullpen.
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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.