Pittsburgh Pirates DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Marco Gonzales (forearm) has been placed on the 15-day injured list on Sunday. The left-hander appears to have picked up the injury during Saturday's outing against the Philadelphia Phillies. Gonzales looked strong throwing six innings and allowing only two runs. Sadly, it appears the Pirates are going to be without Gonzales until some point in May. In a corresponding move, right-hander Ryder Ryan has been recalled from Triple-A. However, Ryan was pitching out of the bullpen, so the Pirates will need to make a move to get another starter at some point next week.

Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter Andrew McCutchen will be on the bench Saturday as the Pirates continue a four-game set against the Phillies. The 37-year-old has a tough start to the season as he holds a .161/.316/.226 line with no home runs and only two RBI. Edward Olivares will instead be in the designated hitter spot and bat in the five-hole as he takes on Spencer Turnbull. Olivares has been swinging a hot bat over the first two weeks, hitting for a .314 AVG and .600 SLG with seven RBI and three home runs. Olivares is worth consideration in DFS, but he does have a difficult matchup with Spencer Turnbull, who has yet to allow an earned run and has a minuscule 0.55 WHIP.

Pittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar locked down the ninth inning for his second save of the season on Friday in a 5-2 win over the Phillies. After blowing three save opportunities already in the early going, manager Derek Shelton stayed true to his word that Bednar would still be the one he'd call on if a save opportunity arose in Philadelphia, and Bednar answered the call by pitching a clean inning. The 29-year-old didn't allow a hit or a walk and struck out one in the appearance. Hopefully the righty is back on track now. The Pirates (10-4) are a surprisingly competitive team thus far so they'll need Bednar to lock down more games for them. He did so last season for them 39 times to the tune of a 2.00 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and a 21.3% K-BB%. So far in 2024, he holds a 10.13 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and 23.1% K-BB%.

Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton said on 93.7 The Fan that right-hander David Bednar would still be the closer if a save situation arises on Thursday against the Philadelphia Phillies in the series opener. After missing some time in spring training due to a lat injury, Bednar hasn't looked like himself in the early going in 2024 and has already blown three saves while giving up six earned runs on six hits (one home run) while walking one and fanning six in 4 1/3 innings. The 29-year-old two-time All-Star's command just isn't where he needs it to be right now, but it's good news for his fantasy managers that Shelton isn't panicking just yet. The fact that Bednar has been one of the best closers in baseball the last couple years has bought him a longer leash, but if his struggles continue, lefty Aroldis Chapman could start seeing some save chances.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Edward Olivares went yard twice in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the visiting Detroit Tigers, belting his first home runs since Opening Day. Olivares first took Tigers right-hander Casey Mize deep to left center in the second inning to tie the game at one run apiece, later tagging lefty Tyler Holton for another big fly to deep left center during the sixth frame for what was thought to be an insurance run before closer David Bednar blew the save. The Pirates acquired the 28-year-old Venezuelan right fielder this past offseason as outfield depth and a bench bat against left-handed pitching, but he's pushing for more playing time courtesy of .321 batting average (9-for-28) and 1.046 OPS with three long balls, seven RBI, and seven runs scored over his first 12 games. Olivares is worth consideration for fantasy managers in NL-only or deep mixed leagues to see if he can carve out a more consistent role in Pittsburgh.