As originally reported by Rumbunter this morning, right-handed pitcher Kyle McPherson will return to the mound tonight, making a start for the Altoona Curve. McPherson will replace Shairon Martis, the previously scheduled starter.
McPherson has been out all season with shoulder inflammation. He went down with the injury in the final weeks of Spring Training after struggling in his first start in minor league camp after being cut from big league camp on March 18th.
Since then, the right hander has been participating in a throwing program to get his arm strength back, and has been working on getting stretched out to return to a starting role. The rehab appears to be going well, as McPherson was throwing 90-95 MPH in an extended Spring Training game recently. He will eventually join Indianapolis, but the Pirates wanted to bring him back at a lower level to ease him back in to the game.
Tim started Pirates Prospects in 2009 from his home in Virginia, which was 40 minutes from where Pedro Alvarez made his pro debut in Lynchburg. That year, the Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, and Pirates Prospects was born from Tim's reporting along the way. The site has grown over the years to include many more writers, and Tim has gone on to become a credentialed MLB reporter, producing Pirates Prospects each year, and will publish his 11th Prospect Guide this offseason. He has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates correspondent for Baseball America since 2019. Behind the scenes, Tim is an avid music lover, and most of the money he gets paid to run this site goes to vinyl records.
