Pittsburgh Pirates DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Nick Gonzales is expected to be recalled from the minors on Friday. The 24-year-old is hitting .358 with four home runs over 30 games in the minors this season. He played in 35 games with the Pirates last season, but will hopefully get a longer stint this time around. Fantasy managers might want to use a wait-and-see approach here, but Gonzalez has all the skills to be a reliable hitter at the highest level.

Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Johan Oviedo (elbow) is coming close to the six-month mark in his rehab from Tommy John surgery, which is when he might get final clearance to resume throwing. The clearance could come next week and would be another step toward getting Oviedo ready to pitch next season. The 26-year-old underwent Tommy John surgery in early December of last year and will not be available to pitch for the Pirates at all in 2024. The Cuban right-hander made a career-high 32 starts for the Bucs in 2023 and went 9-14 with a 4.31 ERA (4.49 FIP) and 1.37 WHIP with 83 walks and 158 strikeouts in 177 2/3 innings pitched. Unsurprisingly, consistency was an issue for Oviedo in his first full season as a starter in the big leagues, and he's going to need to show better command when he returns in 2025 to have any shot at fantasy relevance in single-season leagues.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Jason Delay (knee) caught pitcher Bailey Falter's bullpen session on Wednesday, the first time he has done that since having knee surgery last month. He didn't have any issues and has also been playing catch up to 120 feet and taking swings off a tee. There are discussions of moving Delay's rehab to the team's Florida complex, which could happen soon. The 29-year-old underwent surgery in the middle of April to fix the meniscus in his right knee. He's making progress, but Delay has a ways to go in his recovery and might not be back with the team as a backup option before the All-Star break. In his one game played in 2024 before his knee injury, Delay went hitless in three at-bats with an RBI and a walk.

Shortstop Oneil Cruz is not in the Pittsburgh Pirates lineup on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels. The Pirates shortstop will not be in the lineup due to Los Angeles starting left-hander Patrick Sandoval. Cruz, who bats left-handed, has struggled against left-handers this season, as he's slashing .132/.154/.211. With Cruz out of the lineup, Pittsburgh will be starting Alika Williams at shortstop, who will be batting ninth. Williams is slashing .275/.310/.400 this season. Cruz should be back in the lineup on Wednesday with a right-hander pitcher on the mound for the Angels. The shortstop will also be available off the bench as a pinch-hitter on Tuesday.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller was sensational in Monday's 4-1 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Angels, tossing nine innings of one-run ball on five hits (one home run) and one walk while striking out five en route to a complete-game win. Other than Zach Neto's solo shot in the sixth inning, Keller kept Anaheim's bats quiet all evening for easily his most impressive start of the 2024 regular season. Entering the day with a rocky 5.18 ERA, Keller improved it to a 4.43 ERA to go with a 1.33 WHIP and 44:16 K:BB over 49 frames (eight starts) for the Pirates this year. The 28-year-old right-hander aims to build on this effort in Sunday's series finale at home versus the Chicago Cubs for his next scheduled start, where he'll be a hit-or-miss fantasy bet. Keller fired eight scoreless innings in one of his two starts against the Cubs last year, but he gave up seven runs in his other appearance versus Chicago.