Pittsburgh Pirates DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Nick Gonzales (groin) will be placed on the 10-day injured list after leaving Saturday's game with a groin injury. Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on a radio show that he believes the injury is not season-ending but it could be weeks before Gonzalez returns from the injured list. The 25-year-old is hitting .258 with five homers and 39 RBI this season in 65 games for the Pirates. It sounds like this will be a lengthy absence for Gonzales. Fantasy managers may want to look into a replacement the rest of the way this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Jared Jones (lat) threw a 30-pitch bullpen session on Saturday. Jones said he felt good after his bullpen session after throwing off a mound for the first time since July 4. The Pirates rookie right-hander's velocity sat around 93-95 mph, and he used all four pitches in his arsenal during the bullpen session. He is set to throw again on Monday and face live hitters during next week's road trip in Houston. Jones owns a 3.56 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and a 98:27 K: BB across 91 innings in 2024. Fantasy managers should continue to stash Jones as he is on target to return from the injured list in August.

Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Rowdy Tellez (back) left Friday's series opener against the hosting Arizona Diamondbacks due to back spasms. Tellez is currently being examined and treated by the team's medical status, and his status is day-to-day for now. Before being pulled early, Tellez was hitless in his only at-bat and was replaced by Connor Joe at first base. The 29-year-old left-handed slugger is mostly likely not going to play in the second game of the series in the desert on Saturday, but fantasy managers will want to check Pittsburgh's lineup. Tellez has displayed modest power (nine home runs) and entered Friday's contest hitting a mediocre .249 (62-for-249) with 36 RBI and 29 runs scored, making him mostly corner-infield depth in NL-only fantasy leagues. If Tellez is forced to the injured list, Joe would most likely take over as Pittsburgh's regular first baseman.

The Pittsburgh Pirates placed outfielder Bryan Reynolds on the bereavement list on Thursday. They plan to add another player to the roster in a corresponding move before Friday's series opener in Arizona against the Diamondbacks. RotoBaller offers up its condolences to Reynolds and his family, but this move does buy him a few more days to rest up after he was scratched from Wednesday's series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals due to back spasms. Now that the 29-year-old All-Star is on the bereavement list, he could miss the entire series in Arizona. When healthy, the former second-round pick by the San Francisco Giants in 2016 out of Vanderbilt has been a must-start in fantasy lineups in his sixth year in the league, hitting .288/.353/.485 with an .839 OPS, 18 home runs, 61 RBI and five stolen bases in 101 games.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa (knee) will start a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Buffalo on Saturday if all goes well over the next couple of days during his workouts, according to manager John Schneider. A left-knee sprain has kept Kiner-Falefa out since early July, but barring a setback this weekend with Buffalo, he could come off the 10-day injured to rejoin the big-league roster next week. The 29-year-old utility man has had a bounce-back season in his first year in Toronto, hitting .292 (75-for-257) with seven home runs, 33 RBI and 32 runs scored in 281 trips to the plate over 82 games played. He needs just two more homers to set a new career-high in that category and could see regular starts at the 6 in Toronto when he returns with Bo Bichette (calf) currently on the IL.