Pittsburgh Pirates Breakout Rookie Lands on Injured List

With Oneil Cruz, Konnor Griffin, and Ryan O’Hean recently returning to the Pittsburgh Pirates lineup, it finally looked like the team was getting healthy at the perfect time for a last-minute and improbable playoff run.

Unfortunately, that plan took a hit on Saturday afternoon.

Esmerlyn Valdez exited Friday afternoon’s game after clearly expressing pain while trying to run out a ground ball. He was in so much pain that he eventually needed help leaving the field.

At that point, it was clear that whatever Valdez felt wouldn’t be a quick recovery, and the Pirates confirmed that on Saturday when they placed the breakout rookie on the 10-day injured list. Manager Don Kelly said Valdez had an MRI that revealed a hamstring injury.

With there being so little time left in the regular season, this is an injury that could keep Valdez sidelined until the beginning of 2027. The Pittsburgh skipper said not to anticipate seeing Valdez again this season, but “you never know.”

Assuming that this injury does end Valdez’s campaign, it’s a very disappointing way for his rookie year to end, considering how much of a revelation the 22-year-old was for Pittsburgh’s offense.

Valdez ended up with an .855 OPS, including 17 home runs over his first 72 games. His average exit velocity of 91.9 mph and hard-hit rate of 49.3 percent point to a player who could end up being an exciting power hitter in Pittsburgh’s lineup for years to come.

Plus, looking at all of Valdez’s stats as a whole, he should, at the very least, be in the conversation to be the National League Rookie of the Year.

At this point for the Pirates, though, it’s next man up.

With O’Hearn back in the mix, he’ll likely see more time in the outfield, with Spencer Horwitz staying at first base, with Valdez no longer available.

The Pirates also recalled outfielder Ronny Simon from Triple-A to take Valdez’s spot on the big-league roster. Simon has 109 career at-bats at the MLB level during his career, and owns a .248/.306/.284 slash line in those appearances.

The Pirates still have a slim chance of getting back to the postseason. There’s no question that the path got more difficult without Valdez, but this Pirates team is still more than capable of continuing to win with the players still on the roster.