The Pittsburgh Pirates have reinstated second baseman Nick Gonzales from the 60-day injured list. He had been out since injuring his ankle after hitting a home run on Opening Day. The Pirates also assigned the contract of outfielder/first baseman Nick Solak to Triple-A Indianapolis, dropping him from the 26- and 40-man rosters to make room for Gonzales. Additionally, right-handed relief pitcher Kyle Nicolas was recalled from Indianapolis. The Pirates bullpen was short a pitcher after Tanner Rainey was designated for assignment on Monday.
We have ended the rehab assignment of INF Nick Gonzales and reinstated him from the 60-day injured list.
INF/OF Nick Solak has had his contract assigned outright to Triple-A Indianapolis to make room on the 40- and 26-man rosters.
In addition, RHP Kyle Nicolas has been…
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 3, 2025
Pirates Reinstate Nick Gonzales from IL
Gonzales, the Pirates’ No. 1 draft pick in 2020, first came up to the big club in 2023. In 130 games over parts of three major league seasons, he’s hit .256/.300/.392 with 10 HR and 64 RBI. He broke camp as the Pirates’ starting second baseman before his unfortunate injury. He’s also seen action at shortstop, where he played at New Mexico State, and third base in the majors.
Rehabbing at Indianapolis, Gonzales was just 7-for-36 in nine games, striking out 11 times. However, he also suffered a setback during his assignment, missing action after being struck on the hand with a pitch. Gonzales arrives in a “Nick” of time, joining a Pirates offense that’s been a little better lately, but continues to lag among the bottom feeders in the majors in most important offensive categories. His arrival moves Adam Frazier, who did an adequate job in his place, to the utility role for which he’s better suited.
Other Moves
Since having his contract selected by the Pirates on May 16, Solak was seldom used, going 1-for-11 in four games. He earned the promotion by hitting .393/.452/.625 with 6 HR and 19 RBI at Indy. Apparently, the Pirates’ brain trust decided fairly quickly that he wasn’t the answer to their offensive woes. Soon, the right-handed hitter was relegated to duty as the No. 3 left fielder behind two other right-handed hitters, Alexander Canario and Tommy Pham, leaving him without much of a role on the club.
Hard-throwing right-hander Nicolas was with the Pirates at the beginning of the season. He gave up nine earned runs in 7 2/3 innings – ironically, the same numbers that Rainey put up before receiving his walking papers. At Indianapolis, Nicolas notched two saves and struck out 25 of 69 batters faced, which amounted to an incredible 15.7 strikeouts per nine innings. It was the batters who he didn’t strike out that gave him trouble. He also posted a 4.40 ERA and 1.814 WHIP while walking 6.3 per nine. One wonders whether he’s a mere placeholder for No. 1 prospect Bubba Chandler. Chandler should arrive around mid-June after his Super 2 status is no longer in play. Not that this writer would ever accuse a major league team of manipulating a player’s service time for financial advantage.
The Last Word
Gonzales is in the lineup batting sixth for Tuesday evening’s contest between the Pirates and Houston Astros at PNC Park. Spencer Horwitz, recently activated from the IL himself, will hit cleanup. It took until June 3, but finally the Pirates have the starting lineup that they’d envisioned before the season.
Main Photo Credit: © Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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