Fantasy News

• Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Heads to bench Sunday

  Rotowire May 12, 2024

  Gonzales is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs. Following his call-up from Triple-A Indianapolis, Gonzales had started at second base in the first two games of the series and went 1-for-7 with a walk, two RBI and a run scored. He'll give way to Alika Williams on Sunday, and the two could end up operating in a timeshare at the keystone until Ke'Bryan Hayes (back) returns from the injured list. Jared Triolo has acted as the Pirates' primary second baseman this season, but he'll see the majority of the starts at the hot corner while Hayes is on the mend.

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• Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Drives in two

  Rotowire May 11, 2024

  Gonzales went 1-for-4 with two RBI in Friday's loss to the Cubs. Gonzales was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday and immediately entered the starting lineup, hitting fifth while starting at second base. He delivered a two-RBI single in the first inning but also struck out twice. Gonzales should have a chance to seize regular playing time as the Pirates continue to try to get their offense on track.

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• Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Recalled from Triple-A

  Rotowire May 9, 2024

  The Pirates recalled Gonzales from Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Gonzales has spent all season in Triple-A, slashing .358/.431/.608 with four homers and 19 RBI across 137 plate appearances. The 24-year-old infielder will give the Pirates another player capable of fielding multiple positions, and he could dethrone the struggling Jared Triolo as Pittsburgh's primary second baseman.

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• Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Cutting down on strikeout rate

  Rotowire May 8, 2024

  Gonzales has a 17.4 percent strikeout rate across 132 plate appearances with Triple-A Indianapolis. Gonzales struck out at around a 28 percent clip for most of his stops in the minor leagues, so his current rate stands out positively. He's also posted a .254 ISO and 167 wRC+, albeit in his age-25 season. The Pirates have struggled to score runs consistently in the first full month of the new campaign, and Jared Triolo has only a .043 ISO and 67 wRC+ as the team's current regular second baseman. If Gonzales keeps hitting well, he could get a second shot at the majors in short order.

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• Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Loses out on second base job

  Rotowire Mar 21, 2024

  Gonzales was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports. Gonzales entered camp with a chance to claim the starting job at second base, though he always appeared to be on the outside looking in. Positively, he struck out only 16.7 percent of the time across 36 plate appearances in Grapefruit League action. Gonzales should make his way back to Pittsburgh at some point in 2024, but for now, Liover Peguero and Jared Triolo are the top candidates to get plate appearances at the keystone.

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• Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Scores one and hits double

  Rotowire Mar 1, 2024

  Gonzales went 2-for-3, hitting one double and scoring once in Pittsburgh's 9-8 loss to Baltimore on Thursday. Gonzalez is in a fierce competition for one of the final spots on the Opening Day roster, as the 2020 first-round pick is battling with Liover Peguero and Ji Hwan Bae for a utility infield job. Through a handful of spring-training at-bats, he's hitting .300, but he'll need to consistently maintain success after hitting just .209 last season across 35 games.

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• Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Recalled from Indianapolis

  Rotowire Sep 26, 2023

  The Pirates recalled Gonzales from Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday. Gonzales is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Phillies, but he could get a start or two in the final week of the 2023 campaign. The 24-year-old middle infielder has struggled to a .216/.268/.353 batting line across his first 112 major-league plate appearances this season.

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• Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Heads back to minors

  Rotowire Aug 6, 2023

  The Pirates optioned Gonzales to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday. Gonzales lost his spot on the 26-man active roster when the Pirates needed to make room for first baseman Alfonso Rivas, whom the team acquired from the Padres on Tuesday. Before the demotion to Triple-A, Gonzales had already seemingly lost hold of a regular role in the middle infield, as Liover Peguero and Alika Williams emerged as the Bucs' primary options at second base and shortstop, respectively. Gonzales turned in a .216/.268/.353 with two home runs and no stolen bases over 112 plate appearances with Pittsburgh in his first stint in the big leagues.

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• Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Gets Saturday off

  Rotowire Jul 29, 2023

  Gonzales isn't in the Pirates' lineup Saturday against the Phillies, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Gonzales is 0-for-9 with five strikeouts across his last three games, so he'll get a day off Saturday to regroup. Alika Williams will draw the start at shortstop, and Liover Peguero will man second base while Gonzales rests.

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• Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Sitting Monday

  Rotowire Jul 24, 2023

  Gonzales is not in the starting lineup Monday versus the Padres, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Gonzales will take a seat after he went 2-for-11 with a double and two runs scored over the team's series in Los Angeles. Tucupita Marcano will take over at second base and bat eighth in the series opener at San Diego.

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• Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Racks up three hits

  Rotowire Jul 5, 2023

  Gonzales went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, two RBI and two runs scored in Tuesday's 9-7 win over the Dodgers. He began his career with three hitless efforts, but he's now racked up three straight multi-hit games. Gonzales has showed solid power with two home runs, three doubles and a triple among his 11 hits through 11 games. He's added nine RBI and eight runs scored and should continue to split time between second base and shortstop while Ji Hwan Bae (ankle) is out.

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• Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Launches second homer

  Rotowire Jul 2, 2023

  Gonzales went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in Sunday's loss against the Brewers. Gonzales was responsible for the Pirates' only two runs off Colin Rea with a two-run blast in the second inning. The 2020 first-round pick has gone 6-for-19 (.315) with two homers in his last six games after going 0-for-8 to start his big-league career. Gonzales is now slashing .222/.267/.556 with seven RBI and five runs scored through his first 30 plate appearances after batting .257 with a .820 OPS with Triple-A Indianapolis.

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• Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Heads to bench

  Rotowire Jul 1, 2023

  Gonzales will sit Saturday against MIlwaukee. Gonzales sits for the second time in eight games since getting called up for the first time last week. He's managed three extra-base hits, including one homer, but he's also striking out at a 32.0 percent clip. Ji Hwan Bae and Tucupita Marcano will be the middle infielders Saturday.

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• Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Called up Friday

  Rotowire Jun 23, 2023

  Gonzales was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday, Stephen J. Nesbitt of The Athletic reports. Gonzales will join the Pirates in Miami and will be poised to make his major-league debut some time this weekend. The 24-year-old has produced a .257 batting average with six homers, 27 RBI, 38 runs and a stolen base over 218 at-bats in 57 games for Triple-A Indianapolis this season. Gonzales was selected in the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft but has seen his prospect status diminish in the last couple years due to injuries and a hit tool that hasn't developed as quickly as the organization hoped. He could still get a long look in the majors as the Pirates try to find a long-term solution at second base.

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• Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Close to shedding boot

  Rotowire Jul 6, 2022

  Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Gonzales (heel) will shed his walking boot in 5-to-7 days, Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Gonzales has been in a walking boot since late June, but he's been able to swing and play catch while in the boot recently. The 23-year-old will presumably be able to ramp up his activity level once he sheds his boot, but it's not yet clear when he'll be able to return to game action.

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• Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Resumes baseball activities

  Rotowire Jun 29, 2022

  Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Gonzales (heel) has been participating in baseball activities while in a walking boot, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports. Gonzales isn't expected to shed his boot for another 7-to-10 days, but it's encouraging that he's been able to swing and play catch while in the boot. It seems likely that the 23-year-old will still be sidelined several more weeks, but he's made encouraging progress so far.

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• Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Managing right plantar fasciitis

  Rotowire Jun 22, 2022

  Gonzales is dealing with right plantar fasciitis and will be required to spend 2-4 weeks in a walking boot, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports. Gonzales was transferred to the 60-day injured list Tuesday and will be shut down for several weeks after visiting with a foot and ankle specialist. While the right-hander was initially believed to be dealing with heel soreness, he'll likely be kept out of game action until at least late July or early August following his new diagnosis.

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• Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Moves to 7-day IL

  Rotowire Jun 2, 2022

  Double-A Altoona placed Gonzales (heel) on its 7-day injured list Thursday, Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. The Pirates initially believed Gonzales was dealing with a minor contusion on his heel, but the issue has since proven to be a little more serious than the organization anticipated. That being said, a long-term absence doesn't seem to be in the forecast for Gonzales, who is also expected to change his cleats with the hope of mitigating any potential heel problems moving forward. Gonzales is hitting .247 with four home runs and four stolen bases across 186 plate appearances at Altoona this season.

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• Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Shows signs of life in Double-A

  Rotowire May 18, 2022

  Gonzales went 3-for-4 with a homer and two doubles for Double-A Altoona on Tuesday, followed by two more hits Wednesday, but he's still hitting just .243/.363/.378 on the season. It's been an awfully tough campaign to this point, but Gonzales seems to be getting right at the dish, as he now has a six-game hitting streak going. As of May 10, he was hitting .180/.324/.292, so he's certainly made significant strides recently. With a sky-high 34.1 percent strikeout rate, it's very clear what Gonzales needs to work on right now -- and he has made some progress on that front over the course of this streak. He'll likely need to do a lot more, though, before the Pirates see fit to promote him to Triple-A.

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• Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Looks good in spring action

  Rotowire Apr 6, 2022

  Gonzales went 5-for-11 with a pair of doubles, a steal and a 1:2 BB:K during the Pirates' spring-training slate. Fresh off dominating performances in High-A (.303/.385/.565) and the Arizona Fall League (.380/.483/.549), Gonzales just keeps hitting everywhere he goes. His next test will come in Double-A, where he'll open the 2022 campaign, and if his spring performance is any indicator, he won't be intimidated by the increased level of competition. If the Pirates were more competitive, Gonzales would have a shot at coming up this year -- and if Diego Castillo doesn't work out, he still might -- but it's more likely that he'll be in position to push for an Opening Day roster spot next season.

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