P2Daily: As Injuries Start To Build Up, Opportunities Will Present Themselves

Over a course of a long season like in baseball, injuries will occur. It’s part of the game. In the Pirates system they are starting to pile up.

Across the system’s four full season teams, there are a total of 29 players on the injured list, according to each team’s roster on their respective websites.

Nick Gonzales left a game earlier this week with an injury as been since added to the 7-day injured list. He is now one of eight players on the Altoona roster listed on the IL, which includes names like Quinn Priester and Henry Davis.

With Davis injured, that’s allowed the Pirates to really get a look at what kind of catcher Blake Sabol can be.

Two more players left games early with apparent injuries on Friday. Kyle Nicolas left Altoona’s game mid-batter after coming looking in obvious discomfort after throwing a pitch. He made it 4 1/3 innings before being lifted from the game.

It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but Hudson Head was hit by a pitch in the third inning of Greensboro game, and eventually came out of the game in the sixth before his next at-bat.

While it’s unfortunate for any prospect to get hurt, it does create the ‘next man up’ opportunity for other players. While they’ve done whatever it takes to get Andres Alvarez in the lineup due to his bat, Gonzales being out obviously frees up a position to get an even better look a the hot-hitter.

With Max Kranick, Trey McGough, and Miguel Yajure on the IL for Indianapolis, that opened the door for Zach Matson to get moved up from Double-A.

Matson has struggled in his first two outings with Indianapolis but also got off to a rough start with Altoona before going the entire month of May without giving up a run.

Two months into the season, the Pirates have had some players put their foot forward as the potential breakout star like Matt Fraizer did a year ago but no definitive one.

Matt Gorski and Jacob Gonzalez are making the best cases, as is Alvarez it’s starting to head towards plenty of opportunities to have someone else put their name in the hat.