One of the Pirates’ most reliable pitchers is dealing with an apparently serious elbow injury and could be headed for Tommy John surgery. Multiple sources report that right-hander Johan Oviedo has possible elbow damage and the Post Gazette’s Jason Mackey writes that “Tommy John has been discussed.”
Oviedo was 9-14 with a 4.31 ERA last season in 32 starts and had no apparent injury concerns at season’s end.
The Pirates added pitcher Braxton Ashcraft and infielder Tsung-Che Cheng to the 40-man roster yesterday, thus protecting them from being taken in the Rule 5 Draft next month. Ashcraft pitched mainly in Altoona last season after starting at Greensboro in his comeback from Tommy John surgery. Cheng also split his season between Greensboro and Altoona.
MLB
Major League Baseball named its Managers of the Year last night. Miami Marlins skipper Skip Schumaker won the National League award, while Orioles manager Brandon Hyde took the honors in the American League.
The Cy Young Award winners will be announced tonight. In the National League, the three finalists are the Diamondbacks’ Zac Gallen, the Giants’ Logan Webb, and the Padres’ Blake Snell. In the AL, the finalists are the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole, the Blue Jays’ Kevin Gausman, and the twins’ Sonny Gray.
No eligible players accepted their qualifying offers from the current teams by the deadline yesterday. That makes free agents of two-way star Shohei Ohtani, outfielder Cody Bellinger, third baseman Matt Chapman, and pitchers Blake Snell, Josh Hader, Aaron Nola, and Sonny Gray.
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