The Pittsburgh Pirates have placed second baseman Nick Gonzales on the injured list with a “nondisplaced fracture of the left ankle.” He incurred the injury on Opening Day while trotting to first base after hitting a home run against the Miami Marlins. Infielder Enmanuel Valdéz was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis to take his place on the roster.
We have recalled INF/OF Enmanuel Valdez from Triple-A Indianapolis and placed INF Nick Gonzales on the 10-day injured list.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) March 28, 2025
Pirates Place Nick Gonzales on Injured List, Call Up Valdéz
Gonzales, the Pirates’ first-round draft pick in 2020, was expected to take some forward steps this year after hitting .270/.311/.398, 7 HR, and 49 RBI after last year’s call-up. His home run was among the few bright spots for Pittsburgh in their disastrous 5-4 Opening Day loss. He was removed from the game in favor of Adam Frazier. The Pirates initially announced that Gonzales was day-to-day. Clearly, the injury turned out to be worse than thought upon further examination. At this is written, there’s no timetable for his return.
Valdéz is a left-handed hitting infielder who the Pirates acquired from the Boston Red Sox in the offseason. His primary position is second base. In 125 major league games over 2023 and 2024, he hit .235/.286/.400, 12 HR, and 47 RBI. Pirates fans might have preferred to see Nick Yorke, also an infielder and their favorite team’s No. 5 prospect. Neither Yorke nor Valdéz had impressive springs, however. The Pirates likely want Yorke to keep working at Indianapolis while preserving one of his minor league options.
The left-handed hitting Frazier was in Friday’s starting lineup in Gonzales’ place. Manager Derek Shelton will probably platoon Frazier with right-handed hitting Jared Triolo. Triolo was expected to see action at first base with Spencer Horwitz out. Now it seems switch-hitting Endy Rodríguez will see the bulk of the action at the first base bag. How Valdéz fits remains to be seen. Shelton doesn’t leave players on the bench to rot, and with Valdéz having a better power bat from the left side than Frazier, he may be hard to ignore.
Photo Credit: © Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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