Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Hunter Stratton (knee) underwent surgery on Monday to fix a patellar tendon rupture in his left knee and is expected to be out for seven to 10 months. Stratton's 2024 season is over after he suffered the serious knee injury over the weekend. Depending on how his rehab goes this offseason, the 27-year-old's availability for the start of the 2025 campaign will be in question. The former 16th-round pick in 2017 out of Walters State Community College appeared in eight games out of the bullpen in his rookie season in 2023 before throwing 37 2/3 relief frames for the Pirates in 2024, sporting a 3.58 ERA (3.25 FIP), his first career save, a 1.17 WHIP and a 33:7 K:BB. Like this year, Stratton won't be on the fantasy radar at all.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are still in the process of "learning more" about third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes' back injury, and there is no timetable for his return right now. The Pirates have fallen even further out of playoff contention after a sweep at the hands of the division-rival Chicago Cubs this week, so it wouldn't be a surprise at all if we didn't see Hayes at all again in 2024. The 27-year-old is on the injured list for the second time in 2024 with back issues and may need a surgical procedure, depending on what the team finds in their evaluations. Playing at less than 100% has led Hayes to regress further offensively, hitting .233/.283/.290 with only four home runs, 25 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 365 at-bats. Jared Triolo is benefitting from a starting role at third base in Pittsburgh now that Hayes is on the shelf again. The priority for the Pirates at this point is just getting Hayes healthy for 2025.

Boston Red Sox right-handed reliever Liam Hendriks (elbow) remains on track to make his Red Sox debut in September, around 13 months removed from having Tommy John surgery. Hendriks has made three minor-league rehab appearances (one for Triple-A Worcester, two for Double-A Portland) since Aug. 18 and will continue his progression this week for Worcester on Wednesday and Friday. The 35-year-old Aussie allowed an unearned run and struck out two in two-thirds of an inning in his outing with Portland on Sunday, throwing 13 of his 19 pitches for strikes. Hendriks, who has 116 career saves in 13 big-league seasons with five different teams, should become an experienced late-inning setup option in front of closer Kenley Jansen to wrap up the final month of the regular season in September.

Chicago Cubs catcher Christian Bethancourt was instrumental in Wednesday's stunning win over the hosting division-rival Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park, notching three hits, a homer, and seven RBI in the victory. After connecting with a two-run homer to left field in the seventh inning, Bethancourt hooked a two-run double to left field to trim the Cubs' deficit to 10-7 in the eighth frame. He then delivered a two-run single to left field to give the Cubs an 11-10 lead in the ninth. The 32-year-old veteran backstop has hit more homers (three) in 11 games with Chicago than he hit (two) in 38 outings with the Miami Marlins earlier this year, going 11-for-27 with 15 RBI and two stolen bases to boot. He's pushing for more at-bats in the Windy City.

Pittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar imploded once again in Wednesday afternoon's loss to the visiting division-rival Chicago Cubs at PNC Park, allowing five runs and taking his sixth blown save of the season in the defeat. Summoned to protect a two-run lead in the ninth inning, Bednar gave up two hits and three walks while recording just two outs on 28 pitches before being mercifully pulled from Wednesday's disastrous outing against the Cubs. Besides tallying 23 saves for the Pirates this season, the 29-year-old right-hander has struggled all year long in Pittsburgh, posting a 6.32 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 49 strikeouts, and 18 walks over 47 frames. It wouldn't be surprising to see veteran southpaw Aroldis Chapman get more save chances going forward.