When Marco Gonzales took the mound for the Pirates last night, it was the first time he had pitched for the team since mid-April.
After an injury riddled 2023 season, the Pirates had acquired Gonzales via trade at an incredibly reduced rate, giving up cash and a player to be named later. The trade was betting on Gonzales to bounce back – not only from the injuries, but from a rough season that saw him put up a 5.22 ERA last year.
The Pirates were hoping they could get the Gonzales baseball saw from 2019 to 2021, all seasons that saw him post a sub-4.00 ERA and lead the league in starts in the first year of that stretch. When he was healthy, he was great to have in your rotation.
And in the early parts of Pittsburgh’s 2024 season, it looked as if that bet had really paid off. Through his first 3 starts, Gonzales had pitched 17.0 innings, and to a 2.65 ERA.
But then, the injuries struck. A left forearm muscle strain landed him on the Injured List on April 14th, and it proved to be an injury lengthy enough to have him transferred to the 60-Day IL.
As July started, so did Gonzales on a rehab stint with Pittsburgh’s Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis. However, his rehab starts weren’t all that inspiring. A July 1st game saw 3.0 innings, giving up 3 hits, 2 runs (1 earned) while striking out 3.
But a much worse game came on July 6th, when he went 4.1 innings and allowed 4 hits, 4 earned runs, and walked more than he struck out.
However, the Pirates have desperately needed some more innings filled in their rotation. Even if bullpen guys like Luis Ortiz are potentially blossoming into starter and other injured pitchers are getting further along in their recovery process, the Pirates were still at least a man short in the rotation.
So, despite two shaky rehab stints with the Indians (including a credited loss), the Pirates activated him from the IL, designating Brent Honeywell Jr. for assignment in the process.
And even if his first matchup back in the bigs was against the lowly Chicago White Sox, the decision to bring Gonzales back when they did paid off. Sure, he bent a little during this game, but he never broke, and gave the Pirates a chance to win. From a back end of the rotation type of player, that’s exactly what you need from them: just a chance.
Gonzales allowed 7 hits, but only allowed 1 run and didn’t give out any free passes. He struck out 4 batters, including this nasty K of Tommy Pham to get his first out of the game.
Platinum Ke’Bryan came in clutch (like always), providing clips of all four of Gonzales’ strikeouts in Chicago.
A healthy Gonzales, especially if he can keep this form, will be incredibly valuable for the Pirates as they enter the All Star Break. It provides them with another strong arm in the bullpen who can limit the opposition, but it also provides Pittsburgh options with other starters.
I wrote a few days ago about my suggestion to move Martín Pérez to the bullpen, and one of the things I mentioned there was that moving Pérez into a reliever role becomes a lot easier and more plausible to do when other rotation arms get healthy.
The addition of Gonzales, as well as the eventual comeback of Jared Jones and Bailey Falter would allow for a nearly seamless transition of Pérez.
But Gonzales is a great start in both that option, and providing the rotation with more depth. This start was incredibly encouraging considering his Triple-A numbers did not look all that good when he was activated.
His health was a big concern coming into this season, and the Pirates have already seen exactly why that was the case. However, if Gonzales can find a way to keep that arm healthy for an extended time, Pittsburgh might have a real underrated man in their rotation.
(Featured photo by Bill Streicher/USA Today Sports)
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