Photo Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Pittsburgh Pirates Reliever Could Miss Extended Time With Elbow Injury

Originally posted on FanNation Fastball | By Sam Connon | Last updated 3/5/24

Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington told reporters Tuesday that the team is still awaiting official word on relief pitcher Dauri Moreta's elbow injury.

Per MLB.com's Alex Stumpf, Cherington expects Moreta to be out for "a while."

Moreta last pitched for the Pirates on Sunday, when he left their Grapefruit League contest against the Baltimore Orioles with one out in the ninth inning. Moreta was fresh off allowing three walks and a three-run home run before he was guided off the mound by assistant athletic trainer Tony Leo.

As noted by Stumpf that afternoon, Moreta's final fastball clocked in at 89.9 miles per hour. The 27-year-old's average fastball velocity sat at 95.3 miles per hour in 2023.

More from Ben Cherington: Team is still learning more on Dauri Moreta’s elbow injury, but he anticipates Moreta will be out for a while
— Alex Stumpf (@AlexJStumpf) March 5, 2024

Moreta turned pro when he was 18 years old, signing as an international free agent with the Cincinnati Reds in 2015. After working his way through the club's farm system, Moreta made his MLB debut in 2021 and earned a relatively steady big league role in 2022.

The Reds traded Moreta to the Pirates in exchange for shortstop Kevin Newman in December 2022, though, giving the Dominican righty a fresh start in a new organization.

Moreta became a mainstay in Pittsburgh's bullpen in 2023, ranking second among the team's relievers with 58.0 innings pitched. He went 5-2 with a 3.72 ERA, 1.086 WHIP, 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings and a 0.7 WAR across 55 games, slotting in nicely behind All-Star closer David Bednar.

If Moreta does end up missing a significant amount of time, as Cherington fears, the Pirates will feel lucky they signed Aroldis Chapman, Josh Fleming and Brent Honeywell this offseason. Colin Holderman, Ryan Borucki and Ryan Borucki are among the core pieces of last year's bullpen that are returning as well.

Pittsburgh already lost promising young starting pitcher Johan Oviedo to Tommy John surgery in the fall, and losing Moreta would be another gut-punch to a small-market franchise trying to earn its first postseason bid in nine years.

This article first appeared on FanNation Fastball and was syndicated with permission.

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