24 Chris Archer SP

Archer (groin) underwent surgery to repair a bilateral hernia Tuesday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Archer missed his final start of the 2018 season due to goin discomfort, and it was ultimately determined that the issue would require surgery to repair. The procedure typically carries a six-week recovery timetable, and the expectation is that Archer will be "on or close to a regular schedule" for the start of the 2019 season. The 30-year-old posted a 4.30 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 60:18 K:BB across 10 starts (52.1 innings) with the Pirates after being acquired via trade at the end of July.

Archer will not make his final scheduled start Sunday against the Reds due to left groin discomfort, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Archer is apparently dealing with continued discomfort in his groin stemming from a strain he suffered earlier in the season, prompting the Pirates -- who are out of playoff contention -- to play it safe and shut the right-hander down. The team has yet to announce who will start in place of the 30-year-old. Archer will finish the season with a combined 4.31 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 162:49 K:BB in 148.1 innings (27 starts) with the Pirates and Rays.

Archer (6-8) tossed six shutout innings Monday to earn the win over the Cubs, allowing four hits and two walks with nine strikeouts.

Archer threw 69 percent of his pitches for strikes as he notched his highest strikeout total since joining the Pirates. He only ran into trouble when he put two runners on in both the first and sixth innings, but he was able to escape without any real damage on both occasions. Archer has hit his stride since the beginning of September, delivering four quality starts in his last five while posting a sharp 2.70 ERA during that stretch. He'll look to close out the season on a high this weekend against the Reds.

Archer (5-8) picked up the win Wednesday, allowing one run on six hits and a walk over seven innings while striking out eight in a 2-1 victory over the Royals.

It was the right-hander's best performance since being traded to Pittsburgh, although it's perhaps not a coincidence that it came against a semi-familiar American League foe. Archer does seem to have gotten more comfortable in his new uniform, posting quality starts in three of four September outings with a 27:7 K:BB in 24 innings. He's currently set to close out the campaign with a two-start week, taking the mound on the road Tuesday against the Cubs and Sunday against the Reds.

Archer (4-8) took the loss Friday, giving up four runs on six hits and two walks over five innings while striking out eight as the Pirates fell 7-4 to the Brewers.

The right-hander dug a quick 3-0 hole by giving up first-inning homers to Christian Yelich and Travis Shaw, but Archer settled down and gave the Bucs a chance to tie things up at 3-3 before allowing another run in the bottom of the fifth, dropping his record to 1-3 with Pittsburgh. He'll take a 4.66 ERA on the year -- but a 5.49 mark with his next club -- into his next start Wednesday at home against the Royals.