2 Erik Gonzalez SS

Gonzalez is in the starting lineup for Sunday's spring training opener, according to the Pirates' official Twitter account.

Gonzalez's arrival at camp was delayed while he cleared all the proper protocols, but he has gotten enough work in to take the field in Pittsburgh's first exhibition contest. Gonzalez will man second base and hit seventh in the Pirates' batting order.

Gonzalez's arrival at camp has been slightly delayed, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Gonzalez is one of a handful of players around the league who faced minor delays as they returned to the country for spring training. He's still going through the intake process, though the Pirates expect him to be able to join the team by the end of the week.

Gonzalez signed a one-year, $1.225 million contract with the Pirates on Wednesday, avoiding arbitration, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Gonzalez appeared in 50 games for the Pirates in 2020, but he had a slow finish to the year, going just 1-for-24 with one RBI, one walk and nine strikeouts over his final seven contests. He'll avoid arbitration in his second year of eligibility, and the 29-year-old should serve as a utility infielder once again in 2021.

Gonzalez is not in Thursday's lineup against the Cubs.

His bat has cooled off, as Gonzalez is hitting .137 with zero home runs and two steals over his last 15 games. JT Riddle will start at shortstop and bat eighth.

Gonzalez will bat third and play shortstop Monday against the Cubs.

With Kevin Newman sidelined for the final regular season week of play, Gonzalez figures to see the bulk of playing time at shortstop. Although he's hitting just .252 overall, the 29-year-old is slashing .325/.357/.600 against lefties. Southpaw Jon Lester will get the nod Monday for Chicago.

Gonzalez will be on the bench for the first of Friday's two games against the Cardinals.

Gonzalez has been Pittsburgh's primary shortstop this season, though he likely wouldn't fill that role for many other teams, as he's hitting an uninspiring .250/.278/.405. Kevin Newman slides to shortstop in his absence.

Gonzalez will bat leadoff and play shortstop in Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader against Cincinnati.

He's exceeded expectations for Pittsburgh in 2020, collecting a team-leading 19 RBI while slashing .267/.293/.435. Gonzalez is finally consistent action at age 29 in what general manager Ben Cherington has called a "meritocracy" for playing time. He still likely projects as a utilityman in future campaigns, but for now he's playing nearly every day.

Gonzalez is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.

Gonzalez will take a seat Sunday after starting the past five games. Kevin Newman will start at shortstop in the series finale, with Adam Frazier moving to second base.

Gonzalez went 2-for-4 with a single, double and walkoff sacrifice fly in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Reds.

Gonzalez tallied a pair of knocks to bring his batting average up to .289 on the season, but his day was highlighted by a sacrifice fly that capped off Pittsburgh's two-run rally in the ninth. It marked the 18th RBI for the shortstop, who has hit safely in each of his last eight games.

Gonzalez isn't in the lineup for Game 2 of Friday's doubleheader against the Reds.

Newman went hitless with two strikeouts in four at-bats during Friday's matinee, and he'll take a seat for Game 2. Kevin Newman will take over at shortstop in his place.

Gonzalez is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs.

Gonzalez has emerged as an everyday player for the Pirates, as he'd started 13 straight games before getting the day off Wednesday. It's unclear whether or not that role is deserved, however, as he hit just .220/.286/.400 over that stretch. Kevin Newman will be the shortstop Wednesday.

Gonzalez went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Monday's 6-5 loss to the Brewers.

Gonzalez took Brewers starter Brent Suter deep in the third inning. It was the third homer of the year for Gonzalez, who has hit safely in six of the last seven games. The versatile infielder is slashing .266/.296/.457 with 15 RBI and 10 runs scored in 26 contests overall. His solid work at the plate has earned him a consistent role in the top half of the Pirates' batting order.

Gonzalez will bat second and will start at shortstop Wednesday against the White Sox.

Gonzalez batted out of the bottom third of the order in his first 12 starts of the season, but he's seemingly supplanted Adam Frazier for a top-three spot in the lineup against both left- and right-handed pitching. After leading off in the Pirates' previous five games, Gonzalez will bump down to the No. 2 spot Wednesday while the speedy Cole Tucker gets a turn atop the order in the series finale.

Gonzalez is not in Wednesday's lineup against the Indians.

He is hitting .359 with one home run and is 0-for-2 on stolen-base attempts in 39 at-bats over his last 10 games. Jose Osuna will start at third base and bat seventh.

Gonzalez will start at third base and bat seventh Sunday against the Tigers.

Picking up his seventh start in eight games, Gonzalez now looks to be a mainstay in the Pittsburgh lineup. Though he went hitless in Saturday's 11-5 loss, Gonzalez had gone 9-for-20 across the four games prior to that to aid his push for regular playing time. Gonzalez's case for playing on an everyday basis should only strengthen after hot-hitting utility man Phillip Evans fractured his jaw and suffered a concussion in Saturday's game, with the two injuries likely to sideline him for multiple weeks, if not the rest of the season.

Gonzalez went 4-for-5 with a double, a home run, a run scored and six RBI during Friday's 17-13 extra-innings loss to the Tigers.

He took Matthew Boyd deep in the fourth inning for a two-run shot, his first homer of the year, but it was his bases-loaded double in the eighth that set up Adam Frazier for a huge ninth-inning blast that sent the game to extras, only for the Bucs' bats to ultimately come up short. Gonzalez is on something of a roll -- he's put together a four-game hitting streak that's accounted for nine of his 10 hits, and all seven of his RBI, on the season, pushing his slash line to .357/.357/.571. Given his career .676 OPS, however, the 28-year-old isn't likely to keep it up much longer.

Gonzalez is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Twins.

Gonzalez had started each of the past four games at either third base or shortstop, going a collective 5-for-14 with two doubles, a run and an RBI. Though Gonzalez doesn't have a clear path to an everyday role at any position, his versatility should continue to allow him to see at least semi-regular work for the Pirates.

Gonzalez went 3-for-4 with a double and a run in Tuesday's 7-3 loss to Minnesota.

He lifted his batting average to a season-high .250, just off his career mark of .259. The 28-year-old has started four of the team's last six games. Gonzalez comes with a strong defensive reputation and any offense is simply a bonus.

Gonzalez (foot) played third base and went 0-for-3 with an RBI groundout in his spring debut Thursday, DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.

Manager Derek Shelton said he started Gonzalez at third base to put less stress on his foot. "We know the guy's an elite defender and he can play any three of those (second, shortstop or third)," Shelton said. Gonzalez is expected to serve as a utility infielder for Pittsburgh in 2020.

Gonzalez (foot) is in the lineup for Thursday's spring game against the Rays, according to Adam Berry of MLB.com.

Gonzalez reported to camp in good shape after undergoing foot surgery over the offseason, but the Pirates decided to bring him along slowly. He is now set to see action for the first time this spring, and he will man the hot corner and hit second Thursday.