Weekly Notes: Good Week; Nicky G Back, Endy Out Again, Braxton & Isaac Called Up, Joey DFA'ed; Pirates 2025 HoF Named, Ex-Buc Shuffle

Home again:

Pirates Stuff: 

• 2B Nick Gonzales was activated from the DL on Tuesday; he’s been out with an ankle fracture since the opening game. UT Nick Soak was assigned back to Indy; he refused and became a free agent, only to quickly resign on a minor-league deal with the Pirates. Also RHP Kyle Nicolas was recalled to replace RHP Tanner Rainey, who chose free agency after clearing waivers.
• Speaking of Nicky G, Noah Wright of Rumbunter took a deep dive at a possible infield flip for the Bucs: https://rumbunter.com/nick-gonzales-recent-rehab-stint-suggests-potential-pirates-position-change
• The Pirates have claimed utilityman Ronny Simón off waivers from the Marlins and optioned him to Indy. RHP Rainey was DFA’ed to open a roster spot. Simon, 25, has mostly played 2B and LF in his brief Miami audition (.234 in 19 games this year). He was a .288 hitter who stole 20+ bases per season in AAA where the switch hitter played 2B, SS and 3B with a bit of OF time starting in ’24. Ronny is also the guy who had a teary reaction to committing three errors in four innings last week, so he’s a definite need-a-change-of-scenery dude.
• C Brett Sullivan and RHP Isaac Mattson were called up; C Endy Rodriguez was placed on the 10-day IL (elbow) and LHP Joey Wentz was DFA’ed.

Isaac Mattson – 2025 photo via Indy

•  Mid-week injury report: RHP Dauri Moreta, now on a rehab at Indy, should be ready soon, C Joey Bart is still in concussion protocol, RHP Johan Oviedo is throwing live bullpens & BP, and LHP Colin Holderman isn’t throwing yet. 
• LHP Reinold Navarro was named the Florida Complex League Pitcher of the Week after striking out eight batters in four innings. The Bucs signed him for $270K as a 17-year old last year.
• RHP Carson Fulmer, 31, who has parts of eight years in the show and was inked as an FA by the Bucs as insurance this year, was released from Indy after posting a 1-3/4.64 line in 13 outings, split between the pen and  the rotation.
•  Congratulations to righties Isaac Mattson and Braxton Ashcraft. They both won their first MLB game over the weekend.
• The Pirates announced their 2025 team Hall of Fame Class – Kiki Cuyler, Vern Law and Al “Scoops” Oliver. They were inducted on August 22. Cuyler played the first seven seasons of his 18-year career with the Pirates (1921-27/.336 BA), was on the 1925 championship team and his 144 runs scored in 1925 are the most for any Pirate in the Modern Era (since 1900). He’s already in the Cooperstown HoF (1968). Law spent all 16 of his MLB seasons with the Bucs (1950-1967). He’s one of two pitchers in franchise history to win a Cy Young Award (1960),along with Doug Drabek. The Deacon won 20 games in ‘60, then went 2-0 with a 3.44 ERA in his three World Series outings against the Yankees. Law was also an All-Star twice. Oliver spent the first 10 seasons of his 18-year big league run with Pittsburgh (1968-77), earning three All-Star nods here, finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting in 1969 and hit .296 w/135 home runs. He was one of the Pirates’ World Series titlists in 1971.
• Last year’s #1 pick, CF/SS Konnor Griffin, was promoted to A+ Greensboro after hitting .338 with 9 HRs/36 RBI/26 SBs in 50 games at Bradenton.

Game Stuff:

• Paul Skenes welcomed Houston to PNC on Tuesday to open a three-team, nine-game homestand. He gave up three hits and one run with eight K in eight innings, and yah, was behind, 1-0. Dennis Santana had a shaky ninth, and the ‘Stros claimed the dub, 3-0. For those keeping count, it was the 10th time the Pirates had been shut out this year in 61 games.
• On Wednesday, Mike Burrows took a 3-0 lead into the sixth, giving up five hits and fanning six. The bullpen took it home from there as the Bucs evened the series with a 3-0 win.
• With this being the ‘Stros only trip to down, the teams waited out some Thursday drizzle before starting at 10PM. Shoulda let it rain out; the Pirates were whupped, 8-2. Mitch Keller went seven innings and the pen struggled to get the final six outs while the Bucco batters managed just five hits to go with 11 K during the bewitching hours.

Nick Gonzales & Henry Davis – 6/7/2025 photo/SportsNet Pgh

• And yah, Friday’s game v the Phils was delayed, too; it’s monsoon season in da’ ‘Burgh. Then in the second, Endy Rodriguez hurt his elbow throwing between innings…sheesh. But it was a good game – Henry Davis came off the bench to whack a two-run dinger and Bryan Reynolds also swatted a bomb with two RBI. Nicky G scored after a triple and his ninth-inning sac fly plated Fraze to walk it off as the Bucs and David Bednar were 5-4 victors.
• Roll on, Bucs! Andrew Heaney gave up a run over six, but had to leave with a leg cramp in the seventh with no outs, a 2-0 count on the batter and a Philly on third. No prob; Isaac Mattson kept him there, Henry Davis homered in the Bucco half to take the lead and Dennis Santana/The Renegade put it to bed, 2-1. Mattson got his first MLB dub, and Bednar took the save.
• It was another Skenes day, and again the Bucs scored once for him when Jared Triolo’s double plated Ke’Bryan Hayes in the second. Paul was his usual superb self, going 7-2/3 IP, giving up a run on two hits with seven K before Kelly gave him the hook at 97 pitches with two gone and no one aboard. Pittsburgh small-balled a second run in the eighth when Oneil Cruz walked, stole second, and scored on Cutch’s dink into right. Braxton Ashcraft got the final four outs and the win. It was Braxton’s first MLB victory, Pittsburgh’s first sweep of the year and first three game winning streak; they’re playing .500 ball under Kelly.

MLB Stuff: 

• The Dodgers picked up RHP Chris Stratton a week ago; he worked three innings for LA, gave up two runs, and put him back on the market again. He cleared waivers and LA resigned him.
• RHP Thomas Hatch was called up by Kansas City. He last tossed in the bigs for the Bucs in 2023 (1-1/4.03), making a dozen outings.
• RHP Scott McGough, 35 and an alum of Plum HS, was DFA’ed by Arizona. He spent parts of four seasons in MLB and four more campaigns in Japan. 
• The Cubs signed RHP Jake Woodford to a AAA deal after he opted out of his NYY minor league deal to become a FA. He was with the Bucs last year; in seven games (five starts) his line was 0-4/7.09.
• C/OF Blake Sabol, who the Pirates lost via Rule 5 in 2023 to SF, was outrighted by his current club, the Red Sox. He’s hit .237 over parts of three seasons since. 
• Nine-year vet, OF Ben Gamel, who was recently released by the Tigers, signed a minor league deal with the Angels. He was a Buc from 2021-22 and hit .242.
• The Colorado Rockies released C Jacob Stallings. Jake caught here from 2016-21, hitting .254, and has been with Miami as well the Rox since.