Trevor Williams isn’t worried about the mood in the clubhouse after the Pirates’ 3-13 start, a stretch featuring two times more pitcher injuries than wins after Joe Musgrove went on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with right triceps inflammation.
Although reporters are no longer allowed in the clubhouse, Williams wishes they could be there, to see how manager Derek Shelton has handled a heap of adversity in his first season and how first-year pitching coach Oscar Marin has functioned with the mound becoming a revolving door.
“I can tell you guys confidently that we're all in this for each other,” Williams said. “We know that ‘next man up’ is a tremendous opportunity for that player, and guys are going to make the most of it.”
How the Pirates are handling their current situation can’t be easy. And forget trying to remember someone’s pitch mix or style. Jacob Stallings and John Ryan Murphy have enough of a challenge right now learning names.
While Williams will start Thursday when the Pirates open a four-game series against Cincinnati at Great American Ball Park, beyond that ... well, good luck.
Although it won’t be immediate, one additional wrinkle could be Nick Tropeano, a right-hander the Pirates claimed off waivers Tuesday. The Yankees designated Tropeano for assignment on Saturday, and the pitching-starved Pirates snatched him up, optioning the 30-year-old to their satellite camp in Altoona.
Tropeano made his MLB debut with the Astros in 2014 before he was traded to the Angels that November. He found some success in 2016, pitching to a 3.56 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 68⅓ innings, before he had Tommy John surgery and missed the 2017 season.
Although there’s nothing crazy about Tropeano as a pitcher — he throws five pitches, including a splitter, and his four-seamer averaged 90.8 mph last season — he does have two important qualifications for the Pirates: He was available and healthy.
“I think it’s very apparent that our pitching depth has been thinned out because of the number of guys that we’ve had injured,” Shelton said. “So if there are people out there we think can help us and give us innings, then we’re going to make acquisitions.”
Shelton declined to name his rotation after Williams, saying he would do so Wednesday, but based off the last time through, Friday could be JT Brubaker. Chad Kuhl previously followed Brubaker, and next came Derek Holland.
From there, it could come down to whether or not Shelton wants to split up his piggyback — Steven Brault and Kuhl — or whether he wants to kick the can for another time through; the Pirates are off Monday before starting a three-game series with the Indians next Tuesday.
It also sounds like there’s a possibility Keone Kela could return for the Cincinnati series, which would give a boost to the beleaguered bullpen. Kela has not yet pitched this season because he had COVID-19, but he threw live batting practice again Tuesday.
“We’ll have a conversation with him [Wednesday] to see how he feels and kind of move from there,” Shelton said.
The Pirates should also get Kyle Crick back soon. The setup man threw a bullpen Tuesday and has seemingly recovered from a right lat muscle strain.
The bigger issue might actually be Mitch Keller, who has yet to throw since leaving his last start on Aug. 8 with a left oblique injury.
Keller should play catch in the next four or five days, Shelton said. That’s great, but that would mean about a two-week gap since his last start — long enough to where the Pirates would have to worry about building their top prospect back up instead of just dropping him in the rotation whenever his turn comes around.
“Organizationally, it’s challenging for us,” Shelton said. “Obviously we didn’t know coming into this year what it was going to be like. No one is going to feel sorry for you, so we just have to continue to execute, get better, teach and get guys out there.”
That’s similar to how Williams is looking at this entire situation. Whether it’s Tropeano, Henderson Alvarez (signed to a minor league deal Sunday), Tyler Bashlor (previous waiver claim) or the others working in Altoona, if nothing else, the Pirates are certainly able to offer opportunity.
The bigger challenge has been finding guys to consistently produce — and also stay healthy.
“Last year there was a lot of opportunity as well with injuries,” Williams said. “Some guys made strides, and some guys didn’t. It’s the same thing this year, and guys are making strides. They're coming up knowing, ‘We need you now.’ Guys are taking that and running with it.”
Holmes done
To make room for Tropeano on the 40-man roster, the Pirates transferred Clay Holmes (right forearm strain) from the 10-day injured list to the 45-day IL, ending his season.
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG
First Published: August 11, 2020, 9:10 p.m.
