Pirates' JT Brubaker: Might need season-ending surgery
Rotowire
Brubaker's right elbow injury is "not minor" and could require season-ending surgery, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
The Pirates have simply referred to Brubaker's elbow injury as inflammation to this point, but it sounds like he has some structural damage. Mackey does add that the team is "holding out a sliver of hope" Brubaker can avoid season-ending surgery "through various treatments." Even if the right-hander is able to dodge surgery for now, it appears his rest and rehab will result in a significant absence. Johan Oviedo has entered the Pirates' rotation in Brubaker's place.
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Pirates' JT Brubaker: Placed on 15-day IL
Rotowire
The Pirates placed Brubaker (elbow) on the 15-day injured list Thursday.
Brubaker could be facing season-ending surgery for a right elbow injury that he suffered at the tail end of spring training. He had been ticketed for a spot in the Pirates' starting rotation to open the 2023 campaign, but his injury paves the way for Johan Oviedo to enter the season as the No. 5 starter.
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Pirates' JT Brubaker: IL stint confirmed
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Pirates manager Derek Shelton confirmed Wednesday that Brubaker will open the season on the 15-day injured list while the right-hander recovers from elbow inflammation, Dejan Kovacevic of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.
Look for the Pirates to make the transaction official shortly before Thursday's season opener in Cincinnati. Shelton didn't offer up a timeline for Brubaker's return, and until he's cleared to resume throwing again, the Pirates likely won't provide a target date for the 29-year-old to make his 2023 debut. Johan Oviedo is expected to take Brubaker's spot in the Bucs' season-opening rotation.
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Pirates' JT Brubaker: Headed for IL with forearm issue
Rotowire
Brubaker was scratched from his scheduled Grapefruit League start Monday against the Twins and is expected to open the season on the 15-day injured list while he deals with forearm/elbow discomfort, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.
The Pirates may send Brubaker in for an MRI in the coming days to get a full scope of his injury, but any elbow-related issue for a pitcher is usually a precursor to an IL stint beyond the minimum 15 days. Until Brubaker gets more tests, however, the Pirates are unlikely to offer up a precise timeline for his return. With Brubaker set to open the season on the shelf, Pittsburgh will likely turn to Johan Oviedo to fill the final spot in its rotation.
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Pirates' JT Brubaker: Racking up strikeouts
Rotowire
Brubaker has allowed eight earned runs to go along with 20 strikeouts and three walks across 12.1 innings in Grapefruit League action.
Brubaker has an ugly 5.84 ERA in the exhibition season, but he has shown impressive strikeout stuff. He has a mediocre 23.3 percent strikeout rate across 315.2 career innings in the majors and has been primarily reliant upon groundballs to get outs, so it's not clear where his uptick in strikeouts is coming from, or if it's sustainable. In his most recent outing Wednesday against Toronto, Brubaker punched out the likes of Whit Merrifield, Bo Bichette and Alejandro Kirk.
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Pirates' JT Brubaker: Inks one-year deal
Rotowire
Brubaker signed a one-year, $2.275 million contract with the Pirates on Friday to avoid arbitration, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.
After recording a career-best 4.69 ERA in 28 starts last season, Brubaker will receive a nice raise from the $725,000 salary he pulled in 2022. Though the 29-year-old righty's stats may not exactly jump off the page, his above-average strikeout rate and 3.91 FIP suggest there could be potential for growth heading into 2023.
Brubaker (arm) allowed three runs on four hits and a walk while striking out two in an 8-7 extra-inning loss Tuesday against St. Louis. He did not factor into the decision.
In his first start since Sept. 15, Brubaker cruised through the first two innings, allowing one walk. In the third, he gave up four singles and three runs came around to score before he was removed with two outs. It was an up-and-down season for the 28-year-old but he finished the year with a career-best 4.69 ERA, 144 innings pitched and 147 strikeouts.
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Pirates' JT Brubaker: Reinstated for Tuesday's start
Rotowire
Brubaker (arm) was reinstated from the 15-day injured list ahead of his start against the Cardinals on Tuesday.
The 28-year-old was previously confirmed as the starter for Tuesday's contest and has now officially been activated from the injured list. Brubaker spent the past couple weeks on the shelf with right arm inflammation and could face some workload limitations given he hasn't seen game action since his last big-league start Sept. 15.
Brubaker (arm) will be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Tuesday's game against the Cardinals, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
Brubaker has been ramping up his throwing program over the last week or so and will return to the mound to make one final start in 2022. He's hurled a career-high 141.1 innings and owns a 4.58 ERA and 1.46 WHIP with a 145:53 K:BB heading into Tuesday's outing.
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Pirates' JT Brubaker: Facing hitters
Rotowire
Brubaker (arm) threw a live bullpen session Monday, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
The newly acquired Miguel Andujar stepped in to take swings against Brubaker, who completed his first live work since landing on the 15-day injured list Sept. 18 with right arm inflammation. Brubaker looks like he'll have a chance to return before the Pirates' season comes to a close Oct. 5, but he probably won't have enough time to build back up to a traditional starter's workload.
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Pirates' JT Brubaker: Heads to IL with arm inflammation
Rotowire
The Pirates placed Brubaker on the 15-day injured list Sunday with right arm inflammation, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
Brubaker's early exit in his most recent start Thursday against the Mets was attributed to lat discomfort, but the Pirates characterized his injury differently upon placing him on the IL. Whatever the case, Brubaker won't be eligible to return from IL until Oct. 1, and with the season coming to an end less than a week after that date, it's possible the Pirates opt to keep him on the shelf for good. Luis Ortiz was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis and will presumably step into the rotation as a replacement for Brubaker, who has posted a 4.58 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 145:53 K:BB across 141.1 innings on the campaign.
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Pirates' JT Brubaker: Ineffective in loss
Rotowire
Brubaker (3-12) took the loss Thursday against the Mets, allowing five runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out five in three innings.
Nine of the 18 batters Brubaker faced reached base safely, including the first six batters of the third inning. The big blow came when Francisco Lindor smashed a two-run homer. It was Brubaker's fifth homer allowed in his last four starts, and he has a 6.86 ERA and 1.62 WHIP in that span. His next start will likely be in the middle of next week in New York against the Yankees.
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Pirates' JT Brubaker: Managing lat injury
Rotowire
Brubaker (3-12) took the loss Thursday against the Mets and exited the start after three innings due to right lat discomfort, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports. The right-hander allowed five runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and two walks.
Brubaker threw 42 of 71 pitches for strikes before being lifted with the injury after the third inning. The early exit ended a string of five straight starts of at least five frames, though he may not have pitched that deep regardless of the injury given his performance. It's unclear if the 28-year-old will be ready for his next turn through the rotation, which tentatively lines up for Wednesday versus the Yankees.
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Pirates' JT Brubaker: Takes no-decision
Rotowire
Brubaker allowed three runs on six hits, two walks and a hit batsman while striking out three over six innings in a no-decision versus the Cardinals on Saturday.
Brubaker cruised through four innings, but he allowed a solo shot to Brendan Donovan in the fifth and a two-run blast to Albert Pujols in the sixth. This was Brubaker's second quality start in his last four outings and his eighth such effort of the year. The 28-year-old right-hander has a 4.36 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 140:51 K:BB through 138.1 innings across 26 starts on the year. He's lined up for a road start versus the Mets next week.
Pirates' JT Brubaker: Strikes out five in no-decision
Rotowire
Brubaker allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out five in 5.1 innings during Sunday's loss to the Blue Jays. He didn't factor into the decision.
Brubaker had a lengthy layoff after his last start since he recently spent time on the paternity list, but he showed improvement Sunday after giving up six runs in 6.2 innings during his last outing Aug. 23. The right-hander allowed runners to cross the plate in the second, third and fourth innings but was able to settle for the no-decision since Pittsburgh's offense put up three runs between the fourth and fifth innings. Brubaker has held his opponents to three or fewer runs in four of his last five starts, posting a 4.18 ERA in 28 innings over that stretch. He tentatively lines up to make his next start at home against the Cardinals next weekend.
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Pirates' JT Brubaker: Returns from personal leave
Rotowire
The Pirates reinstated Brubaker (personal) from the paternity list Wednesday.
Brubaker missed his scheduled start Monday after landing on the paternity list, but he should be ready to rejoin the Pirates' rotation for this weekend's series versus the Blue Jays once he completes a bullpen session. Pittsburgh optioned reliever Eric Stout to Triple-A Indianapolis to clear room on the 26-man active roster for Brubaker.
