Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Belts home run in return
Rotowire
Kiner-Falefa went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 4-3 loss to the Mets.
Kiner-Falefa slashed .302/.327/.377 with two stolen bases and three RBI in the 15 games prior to his stint on the 10-day injured list due to a right hamstring strain. He picked up where he left off Monday, smashing a solo home run to left-center field off David Peterson in the second frame. Kiner-Falefa added a single in the sixth frame to log his seventh multi-hit game of the season, and he has a career-best .704 OPS over 113 plate appearances this year.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Reinstated from IL
Rotowire
The Pirates reinstated Kiner-Falefa (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list Monday.
Kiner-Falefa was placed on the 10-day injured list May 1 due to a right hamstring strain. He quickly resumed baseball activities and was able to run the bases over the weekend, and he's recovered enough that a rehab assignment is not needed. Kiner-Falefa slashed .280/.333/.330 with six stolen bases and seven RBI prior to his injury, and he should be back in the Pirates' starting lineup against the Mets on Monday. Liover Peguero was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis in a corresponding move.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Resumes activity
Rotowire
Kiner-Falefa (hamstring) has resumed baseball activity and is expected to run the bases this weekend, MLB.com reports.
Kiner-Falefa has been sidelined since early May with a right hamstring strain, though he was never expected to be out long. He's eligible to return Sunday, but he may need a few additional days before being activated.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Moved to injured list
Rotowire
The Pirates placed Kiner-Falefa on the injured list Saturday due to a right hamstring strain.
Kiner-Falefa hadn't played since Wednesday due to the injury, and the issue is serious enough to warrant a trip to the IL. With Kiner-Falefa out of action, Jared Triolo will likely take over as the team's everyday shortstop. The Pirates selected the contract of pitcher Tanner Rainey from Triple-A Indianapolis and moved pitcher Justin Lawrence (elbow) from the 15-day to the 60-day IL in corresponding transactions.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Remains out Saturday
Rotowire
Kiner-Falefa (lower body) isn't in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against San Diego.
Kiner-Falefa will begin on the bench for a third consecutive contest as he continues do deal with a lower-body injury. It's not yet clear how much time the versatile veteran will miss, but at this point there's been no word of an extended absence. Jared Triolo will make a third straight start at shortstop in Kiner-Falefa's stead Saturday.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Not in Friday's lineup
Rotowire
Kiner-Falefa (lower body) is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Padres.
The 30-year-old was forced to the bench Thursday due to the lower-body issue after a run of nine straight starts, and he remains out of the starting nine Friday. Jared Triolo will receive another start at shortstop in place of Kiner-Falefa.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Friday that Kiner-Falefa has been dealing with a lower-body injury, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
It helps explain why Kiner-Falefa was not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Cubs. Consider the infielder day-to-day for the time being. With Kiner-Falefa banged up, Liover Peguero was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday as middle-infield protection.
Kiner-Falefa is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs.
Kiner-Falefa had started each of the last nine games while batting .303 with a stolen base, three runs and two RBI, but he'll get a breather while Pittsburgh wraps up its series with Chicago with a day game after a night game. Jared Triolo will pick up a start at shortstop in place of Kiner-Falefa.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Not starting Saturday
Rotowire
Kiner-Falefa is not in Pittsburgh's starting lineup against Cleveland on Saturday.
Kiner-Falefa has recorded at least one hit in five of his last six games, going 6-for-20 with one stolen base, two runs scored and one RBI over that span. He'll be in the dugout for the beginning of Saturday's game while Jared Triolo starts at shortstop and bats seventh against Guardians right-hander Ben Lively.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Production slowing
Rotowire
Kiner-Falefa went 2-for-4 with a run scored Wednesday against the Nationals.
Kiner-Falefa has struggled at the plate after a relatively hot start to the year, as he has just four hits across his last 25 at-bats (eight games) after Wednesday's multi-hit effort. He's also slowed on the basepaths, failing to tally a stolen base since March 31 while being caught on his last two attempts.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Getting afternoon off
Rotowire
Kiner-Falefa is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals.
Manager Derek Shelton will give Kiner-Falefa a breather as the Pirates wrap up their series with the Cardinals with a day game after a night game. The recently promoted Tsung-Che Cheng will make his MLB debut Wednesday, starting at shortstop in Kiner-Falefa's stead and batting ninth.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Late add to lineup
Rotowire
Kiner-Falefa will start at shortstop and bat ninth Sunday against the Yankees after Jared Triolo (undisclosed) was scratched, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.
Kiner-Falefa was poised to receive his first day off this season but will instead take his usual post at shortstop. He's batting .321 (9-for-28) with no extra-base hits and four steals in 33 plate appearances.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Receiving first day off
Rotowire
Kiner-Falefa is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees.
Kiner-Falefa will get his first day off this season after slashing .321/.424/.321 with four stolen bases, three runs and an RBI through Pittsburgh's first nine games. Jared Triolo will fill in for Kiner-Falefa at shortstop and as the Pirates' No. 9 hitter.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Aggressive on basepaths early
Rotowire
Kiner-Falefa went 2-for-3 with two walks and two stolen bases Saturday against the Marlins.
Kiner-Falefa was expected to lead off for a significant portion of spring, but he's instead hit ninth in all three of Pittsburgh's games. He's still found a way to be productive and has benefited from the team's aggressiveness on the basepaths by swiping three bases on three tries. Kiner-Falefa is likely to provide little other production, but he could be a streaming option for stolen bases.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Expected to be primary shortstop
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Kiner-Falefa has started nine games at shortstop during spring training and is projected to begin the season as the Pirates' primary starter at the position, Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.
Kiner-Falefa has served as a utility player for much of his career, though 28 of his 50 appearances came at shortstop after being acquired by the Pirates. He struggled to a .587 OPS across 215 plate appearances in Pittsburgh, so there's no guarantee he'll maintain that playing time throughout the 2025 campaign. Nick Gonzales and Liover Peguero are both capable at the position defensively and have made appearances at shortstop this spring.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Sitting Sunday
Rotowire
Kiner-Falefa is absent from Sunday's lineup against the Yankees.
Jared Triolo will start at third base and bat sixth in Pittsburgh's regular-season finale. As a member of the Pirates this season, Kiner-Falefa slashed .240/.265/.322 with eight stolen bases, one home run and 10 RBI across 215 plate appearances.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: On bench Sunday
Rotowire
Kiner-Falefa is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds.
Nick Gonzales will take over at shortstop and atop the batting order against right-hander Hunter Greene. Kiner-Falefa occupies those spots most days, and he's provided a .286 average this month as the Pirates' primary leadoff hitter, though it's been a rather empty batting average (five doubles, no homers, three RBI in his last 19 games).
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Taking seat Tuesday
Rotowire
Kiner-Falefa is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game in St. Louis.
Kiner-Falefa had been at shortstop and leading off for the Pirates' last six contests, but he will begin Tuesday's game on the bench. Nick Gonzales is getting a start at shortstop and will also be at the top of the batting order.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Tallies three hits
Rotowire
Kiner-Falefa went 3-for-5 with an RBI single and two runs during Sunday's 4-3 win over the Royals.
Kiner-Falefa participated in three of the Pirates' four runs Sunday, notching his seventh game this season with at least three hits. The utility player has one homer, six stolen bases and a pair of triples in 39 games with the Pirates. He's 11-for-32 (.296) during his last seven games.
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Pirates' Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Not starting Monday
Rotowire
Kiner-Falefa is absent from Monday's lineup against the Marlins.
Kiner-Falefa will hit the bench after he started each of the Pirates' last four games against the Nationals, going 5-for-18 with four runs scored and two RBI. Alika Williams gets the start at shortstop and bats ninth in Kiner-Falefa's stead.
