Pirates Slugger Already Bolstering Lineup Following Injury Return
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have had a stellar offense so far and the return of one of their best hitters is already making them better.
Ryan O'Hearn returned to the Pirates lineup as a designated hitter in their 9-3 win over the Minnesota Twins in the series finale at PNC Park on May 31, following two weeks spent out injured and 13 games missed.
O'Hearn immediately delivered for the Pirates, hitting a solo home run in his first at-bat back in the second inning to give his team a 1-0 lead.
It wasn't the most impressively hit home run, just 98.6 mph off the bat and 354 feet into the lower part of the right field seats, but again shows how vital O'Hearn is to the Pirates and the lineup this season.
Coming Back Earlier Than Expected From Injury Rehab
O'Hearn played first base in his previous game, a 6-0 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park on May 16, and injured himself on a pop out, as he felt his hip grabbing on his leg.
The injury ended up as a right quad muscle strain, which originally had a return timeline of four weeks, but a diligent rehab plan from the Pirates saw O'Hearn return quickly.
He had already started batting practice, doing outfield and infield drills and eventually more plyometrics, as he built up his legs again to full strength and came back in half the time.
"I don’t know. All I can say is the training staff did a great job," O'Hearn said. "We were super intentional with the plan. I just kind of followed what Luke, AB, Joel and Tyler were telling me to do. Leg started feeling pretty good. Then it seemed like every test that they had for me, I didn’t feel it. I was like, ‘Alright, let’s keep pushing it.’ Glad it didn’t take me any longer."
O'Hearn never left the the Pirates during this time and was present on the past road trip and homestand with the team.
His presence on the Pirates is crucial, as a veteran who has been around winning teams before, and also, it was great for him to stick around his teammates during a rough couple of weeks.
"I want to be here for the guys," O'Hearn said. "Even though I wasn’t playing, I still want to be in it with them, talking over at-bats and swings and game-planning and being in the hitters’ meetings. That was definitely important for me. I’m glad I did it the way I did."
O'Hearn Excited to be Back in the Pirates Lineup
O'Hearn has been one of the Pirates best hitters this season, doing exactly what the team hoped he would do when he signed as a free agent for two years, $29 million.
He has slashed .294/.371/.479 for an OPS of .850 in 45 games, with 48 hits, six doubles, eight home runs, 30 RBI and 19 walks to 35 strikeouts, trending towards having the best season of his career.
That home run was a big moment for O'Hearn, who hit two home runs in the prior series vs. the Colorado Rockies at PNC Park and was
"Yeah, it was awesome," O'Hearn said. "You want to make an impact when you come back. I didn’t do a rehab assignment or anything, so I hadn’t seen live pitching. But, I was pretty confident in my abilities. Been feeling good in the cage. It was cool to have it translate the first at-bat like that."
O'Hearn not playing during the past two weeks saw the Pirates turn to five different players in right field and it wasn't easy for him not being on the field with his teammates, but he saw a different side of his squad during his time out.
"It is difficult. In my entire career, my first IL stint besides a COVID stint," O'Hearn said. "First actual IL stint while the team is playing every day. It’s hard. You want to be out there. The competitor in you have you champing at the bit in the dugout. It’s also cool to step back and cheer on the guys and appreciate how good of a team we have."
The Pirates finished off the Twins in a sweep, which included a two-run walk-off home run from Bryan Reynolds in the series opener on May 29 and then holding on for a big 10-9 win in the second game on May 30.
Pittsburgh is 32-28 after 60 games and O'Hearn, who has great faith in this team from the beginning, is still confident in their chances this season, but wants to see them continue getting better and really establish themselves as a top team in baseball.
"This series was great," O'Hearn said. "The big, walk-off win on Friday kind of build that momentum for us. The last two days have been awesome. I’ve said it all year long. I think we have a really good team. You’re gonna go through tough stretches. That’s just the nature of the game. Seems like when we lose a few, we tend to bounce back. Now the challenge is we’ve won a few. We have to keep that gas pedal down."
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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.