Jared Triolo has gone from being the Pittsburgh Pirates’ starting shortstop to their starting third baseman to being out for an extended period with a knee injury.
This series of moves has defined Triolo’s season so far in 2026. The emergence of rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin has played a significant role.
Triolo’s tenure as the regular shortstop lasted a week until Griffin was called up from Indianapolis last Friday after just five games. Triolo shifted to third base for the home opener against the Baltimore Orioles at PNC Park, and got lost in the excitement of Griffin’s heralded debut. Triolo sustained a patellar injury while running the bases in the 5-4 win.
Third base now belongs to Nick Gonzales and Nick Yorke. Both are right-handed hitters, so there is no straight platoon. Manager Don Kelly must mix and match the two Nicks at the hot corner, though neither is a third baseman by trade.
Gonzales and Yorke have become projects of Pirates infield coach Chris Truby.
"All through spring training, and even now early in the season, they're working hard to play third," Kelly said. "It's not an easy position. They've done a really good job. Truby is awesome. I think the world of him. The work he puts in and his knowledge help these guys get better. They've done a really good job handling third base."
Pittsburgh's defense is weakened without Triolo, who won the National League Gold Glove for utility players in 2024.
Yet the offense could see an uptick with either Gonzales or Yorke in the lineup. By contrast, Triolo is hitting .217/.308/.261 in six games. Yorke has a .381/.500/.476 slash line in eight games, and Gonzales is batting .293/.341/.366 through 10 games going into Friday’s opener of a three-game series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
After Thursday’s off day, Carmen Mlodzinski (0-0, 4.00 ERA) will pitch for the Pirates (7-5) on Friday against left-hander Shota Imanaga (0-1, 4.50).
Pittsburgh general manager Ben Cherington does not have a precise timetable for Triolo’s return; he said Triolo’s recovery will likely take weeks, not days, which means Gonzales and Yorke could see extended playing time.
“Well, I'm excited for both of them,” Cherington said. “Obviously, we didn't want Tri to go down. But in my first conversation with (Kelly) about it, you could almost sense excitement from him and the staff. They saw an opportunity to learn more about those guys, to create some opportunity there, and believed they would take advantage of that. We'll see how that plays out."
"Obviously, both Nicks can play different spots. That doesn't mean they'll only play third. I'm sure they'll get some responsibility elsewhere, too. We believe in both guys. Both can help us win games."
Pirates Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Pirates. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.