Welcome to the weekly Pittsburgh Pirates Rumor Mill, where we update you on all of the latest Pirates trades, signings, rumors, injury news, promotions, demotions, and the like from the past week.
We return the Pirates Rumor Mill this week to update you on some injured players and throw a few more starting pitching names out there that the Pirates could target at the trade deadline. After all, it’s looking more and more like the only true need for the Pirates come trade deadline time will be a quality starting pitcher. If either one of Jameson Taillon or Tyler Glasnow pitch well out of the gate, the Pirates may only need to add one quality starter, and moving Jeff Locke and Juan Nicasio to the bullpen will improve that area as well.
But first, here is the latest news on some injured Pirates.
Ryan Vogelsong still recovering
We all know how scary Ryan Vogelsong‘s injury was on Monday. He was recently placed on the 15-day disabled list, and A.J. Schugel was recalled to take his place in the bullpen. Fortunately, there’s some good news, as Vogelsong returned to PNC Park to watch the Pirates on Thursday.
Straight from the hospital to the game, can't keep him away. Thanks to the Pirates medical staff & AGH… pic.twitter.com/3M7sQPRAdh
— Nicole Vogelsong (@nicolevogelsong) May 26, 2016
Obviously first and foremost we want Vogelsong to recover fully. But is it fair to wonder if Vogelsong has made his last appearance as a Pirate? In the near future, both Taillon and Glasnow will be with the big league club, and someone will have to go to make room for them. Vogelsong is one of the pitchers to possibly be replaced by one of those two. Only time will tell.
Is Arquimedes Caminero done in Pittsburgh?
Arquimedes Caminero has been awful for the Pirates this season, and he was recently placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left quad strain.
RHP Arquimedes Caminero has been placed on the 15-day DL with a left quad strain & LHP Kyle Lobstein is recalled from @indyindians. #Pirates
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 25, 2016
This could be a phantom DL stint, or he could have been battling through an injury which was hurting his on-the-field performance. I would say it’s a little bit of both, but even without the injury, Caminero is a wild card. There’s a good chance Caminero has pitched his last game as a Pirate, an even greater chance than Vogelsong. The Pirates are always good at finding quality relievers for cheap or within their system. I expect them to easily replace Caminero for the time being.
Elias Diaz getting close to returning to game action
Elias Diaz probably doesn’t have a place with the major league club this season, but catching depth is still important, so seeing him return to the field would be nice. Here’s the latest update on Diaz:
Pirates head athletic trainer Todd Tomczyk said Elias Diaz is "in the final stages" of range-of-motion/strength work before throwing/hitting
— Adam Berry (@adamdberry) May 25, 2016
It’s great that Diaz isn’t going to miss the entire season, and the sooner he returns, the better, in case either Francisco Cervelli or Chris Stewart were to go down with an injury.
Would Drew Pomeranz be a trade good option for the Pirates?
In our last Rumor Mill, we discussed some potential starting pitchers that would be good fits for the Pirates. One name that stood out to me was Drew Pomeranz. I continue to feel that he’d be a great fit for the Pirates. For one, the Padres are in last place in the NL West and have a good chance to be sellers at the trade deadline. Second, he’s making only $1.35 million this season, and has two more years of arbitration eligibility remaining after this year. The Pirates, when they make trades, prefer to trade for players that are under team control for multiple years. If Jon Niese continues to pitch poorly, the Pirates could not pick up his option after this year and replace him in the rotation with Pomeranz. And to top it off, Pomeranz is having a phenomenal year so far. He has a 1.70 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, and has only given up three home runs in 53 innings of work. He has a solid career ERA of 3.70, and that’s with spending half of his career with Colorado.
Many things can change between now and the trade deadline, but I’m sure the Pirates are doing their homework on Pomeranz.
Thanks for checking us out here at Pirates Breakdown. Please make sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook for the best Pirates coverage all year long!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
