News broke today that Pittsburgh Pirates icon Andrew McCutchen has suffered a partial tear in his Achilles tendon. 

McCutchen was removed from Monday’s game in what was seemingly just a precautionary move. After the game, McCutchen took to Twitter to reassure fans that he was ok, however today is a different story. 

He will reportedly be in a boot for six weeks, meaning McCutchen will not play for the rest of the 2023 season. 

His season-ending injury is devastating for all parties involved. “Dang this sucks,” McCutchen wrote on Twitter today. 

The Pirates placed McCutchen on the 10-day injured list and recalled Jared Triolo in his absence. Triolo was a guy pretty much every Pirates fan wanted to see back up in the majors, but his return is now marred with who he is replacing. 

McCutchen, who had a heartwarming homecoming this season with the Pirates, was batting .256 with 12 homers and 43 RBIs. His on base percentage remained amazingly high (ending with .378) even as his bat started to fade as the season went along. McCutchen’s 75 walks assisted in keeping his on base stats up. 

Aside from his good numbers, McCutchen’s mere presence on the team rejuvenated energy not just for the team, but the fanbase as well. McCutchen’s role in his second Pirates stint, much more of a leader and role model to the younger players, cannot be overstated as the Pirates have tried to improve from two of the worst seasons in this franchise’s history. 

McCutchen had also had many memorable moments of his own during the season. Aside from his homecoming game, he recorded his 2,000th major league hit back in early summer, a huge milestone for the 36 year old. 

McCutchen was just one shy of hitting his 300th home run in his major league career. 

On whether he plans to return to the Pirates in 2024, McCutchen told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “I’m not gonna go out like this. I wanna continue to keep playing and push through this, let this heal and be ready to go for 2024.”

McCutchen also told Pirates reporter Justice delos Santos “I’ve vocalized … plenty of times about wanting to be here. [Hitting 300] isn’t going to be right anywhere else.”

He certainly looks intent on returning for the following season, which should excite Pirate fans. Still, his untimely injury and the end of his season is a hard pill to swallow for the team, but especially the fans. 

Jared Triolo was batting .276 in 36 games with the Pirates before he was sent back down to Triple-A. The former second round pick will look to pick up where left off in the majors. 

(Featured photo by Charles LeClaire/USA Today Sports)