Pittsburgh Pirates DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

The Pittsburgh Pirates placed right-hander Hunter Stratton (knee) on the 60-day injured list on Sunday with a rupture of his left patella tendon and selected the contract of left-hander Brady Feigl from Triple-A Indianapolis in a corresponding move. Stratton suffered the devastating knee injury during his outing on Saturday against the division-rival Cincinnati Reds and will now miss the rest of the 2024 season. There's a good chance the 27-year-old will need surgery as well. The former 16th-round pick in 2017 out of Walters State Community College went 2-1 this year with a 3.58 ERA (3.25 FIP), a 1.17 WHIP, his first career save and a 33:7 K:BB in 37 2/3 relief innings. Feigl will be making his major-league debut for the Pirates whenever he gets into a game out of Pittsburgh's bullpen.

Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Jared Triolo isn't included in the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the division-rival Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park. Triolo will get a day off to rest after starting in each of the team's last eight games. Alika Williams is getting the nod at second base for this one and will bat eighth against Reds right-hander Nick Martinez. The 26-year-old Triolo is getting more run in Pittsburgh's lineup with both Nick Gonzales and Ke'Bryan Hayes on the shelf. He's still not much more of a fantasy option in mixed leagues, though, and is hitting .197/.283/.285 on the year with six homers, 33 RBI and five steals in 95 games played in his second year in the big leagues. Fantasy managers should be able to find better DFS options than Williams, who is still searching for his first major-league home run in his 75th career game.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Michael Taylor will begin Friday's game at PNC Park against the division-rival Cincinnati Reds on the bench. Ji Hwan Bae will patrol center field for the Bucs and will hit ninth against Reds right-handed opener Buck Farmer. Taylor started in the outfield in seven of the team's last eight games but will take a seat on Friday in favor of Bae. The 33-year-old veteran is hitting under the Mendoza Line this year in 247 at-bats with only four homers, 20 RBI and 10 stolen bases in a part-time role in Pittsburgh. He could use a day off after going hitless with a walk and 11 strikeouts in his last 18 plate appearances over the last five games. Bae, who hits from the left side, will be a deep DFS sleeper to avoid out of the nine-hole. The 25-year-old South Korean is still searching for his first home run of the year and has four RBI and six steals in 65 at-bats.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan De La Cruz went 3-for-4 in a 7-0 victory over the division rival Cincinnati Reds on Thursday. The outfielder had two doubles amongst his three hits and also drove in three runs during the contest. Since being acquired from the Miami Marlins at this years trade deadline, De La Cruz has become a fixture in the Pirates lineup. Although he has yet to hit a home run with his new club, he has still put up valuable numbers this season with Miami and Pittsburgh, where the 27-year-old has hit .244 with 18 homers and 58 RBI in 492 at-bats between both clubs. He is not a must-roster, but he is worth a look in deeper mixed leagues, where managers are seeking outfield depth.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes put on another show in Thursday's series-opening victory over the visiting Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park, throwing six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts. Skenes twirled a gem on Thursday evening against the Reds, scattering two hits and one walk amid rumors the Pirates could eventually elect to shut down the electric 22-year-old National League Rookie of the Year frontrunner down the stretch of what's becoming a lost season. Skenes was held to 87 pitches despite his dominance in this one, so the monitored workload appears to have arrived. On the campaign, Pittsburgh's ace now has seven wins and owns a 2.16 ERA and 0.94 WHIP with 130 punchouts and 25 walks across 104 frames (17 starts). As it stands, Skenes remains tentatively scheduled to toe the rubber next on Tuesday at home against the division-rival Chicago Cubs.