Pittsburgh Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk provided an injury update on several key players on Wednesday, as we continue to inch close to the start of Spring Training games.
From Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk:
• T. Johnson R hamstring strain. Nothing for 10-14 days.
• Stephenson minor R elbow discomfort. Modified throwing program, 105-110 feet.
• Kranick (TJ) throwing 4-5 days a week, 60-75 feet.
• Cederlind full go.
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) February 22, 2023
One of the more notable things there is that Blake Cederlind is now ‘full go’. The righty hasn’t pitched since 2020, when he made his major league debut, pitching four innings among five appearances and posting a 25% strikeout rate.
While he will certainly get worked back into the mix slowly, Cederlind is another power arm the Pirates could eventually call upon later in the season. During his brief time with the Pirates in 2020, he averaged 98.5 mph on 41 sinkers thrown.
The Pirates added quite a few relievers into the mix, as well bringing back most of last year’s bodies, so there won’t be much pressure on Cederlind to do anything other than build innings back up.
He was removed from the 40-man roster at the end of last season, and wasn’t given an invite to big league camp, but it doesn’t really matter where he pitches, as long as he on the mound.
Another pitcher recovering from an injury, Max Kranick, seems to be making good progress, as he is throwing four to five days a week at 60-75 feet. He still has a ways to go to build up his arm, but June will be one year since Tommy John, so it’s not out of the question to see him on the mound again this season.
The Pirates had to have liked his recovery progress, but knowing he’ll be out most of the year, they still kept him on the 40-man roster. They can slide him over to the 60-day IL to free up an extra spot, which will come in handy because they still need a backup catcher behind Austin Hedges.
Kranick had that fantastic major league debut, but struggled afterwards. The Pirates have a lot of depth in the rotation at Indianapolis, but you have to figure he’ll find his way back in there once he works his way back.
While the impact on the major league roster will likely be minimal, getting these two back in the mix at Indianapolis will be really big for the overall depth, and provide even more competition.
Termarr Johnson Setback
While there was no way Termarr Johnson was going to make the major league roster, it was interesting to see how he would face pitching when Spring Training games started. It’s starting to look like we won’t get to see that, however, as his hamstring injury will keep him sidelined for at least 10-14 days.
At that point, it seems more ideal to get him in minor league camp and start letting him get ready for wherever he’s going to start the year. That way if it’s just the minimum amount of time he misses, he can get started right away when the season starts.
Pirates Prospects Daily
By Tim Williams
**My latest column looks at whether the Pirates will be the worst team again, a winner, or a contender in 2023.
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**The Pirates signed LHP Braeden Ogle to a minor league deal. Ogle was traded at the deadline in 2021 for Abrahan Gutierrez.
**FanGraphs released their top 100+ prospect list.
**Missed yesterday? Anthony looked at ZiPS projections and the Bryan Reynolds saga.
