The Pirates will be without one of their better young pitchers for a substantial amount of time, as sources told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Saturday that Scranton native Max Kranick underwent Tommy John surgery Friday morning.
Kranick, 24, has appeared in just two games this season, allowing no runs and striking out four over five innings. The team has not yet announced the move. When it does, Kranick will be transferred from the 10- to the 60-day injured list, which opens a spot on the 40-man roster.
An 11th-round draft pick in 2016, Kranick made nine starts for the Pirates last season, going 2-3 with a 6.28 ERA in 38 2/3 innings, walking nine 19 and striking out 32 in his debut season.
In the minors this year, Kranick appeared in four games with a 3.12 ERA and seven strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings.
What Kranick has experienced this season has been curious. He was delayed in spring with persistent right elbow/forearm pain, then eventually worked his way back, throwing harder than ever.
Kranick was optioned to Class AAA Indianapolis a second time on May 12 and five days later went on the seven-day injured list when he experienced a recurrence of elbow issues.
The Pirates and Kranick obviously wanted to avoid this procedure and sought several opinions. But in the end, Kranick had a procedure that has actually become fairly common around the sport, though one will that keep him out for the rest of this season and most, if not all, of 2023.
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: June 4, 2022, 6:46 p.m.
