PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates‘ injury woes continue to mount as another player is sidelined.
The team announced that infielder Jared Triolo has been placed on the 10-day Injured List, with Tsung-Che Cheng called up from Triple-A Indianapolis to take his spot. According to MLB.com’s Alex Stumpf, Triolo is dealing with a lumber spine strain.
Triolo had been slated to start at shortstop for the Pirates in their series finale against the New York Yankees on April 6 at PNC Park, but he was a last-minute scratch due to lower back discomfort. Isiah Kiner-Falefa replaced him at shortstop, leaving Triolo on the bench.
Manager Derek Shelton provided an update before the Pirates’ series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals, explaining that Triolo’s back “locked up” just 15 minutes before the game. As a result, the team made the switch to Kiner-Falefa.
Triolo has played in six games this season, starting five of them. He has appeared at first base, second base, and third base, but if he had started at shortstop as planned, he would have played every infield position in the first 10 games of the season.
At the plate, Triolo has struggled significantly, managing only one hit in 17 at-bats, good for a .059 batting average, with one walk and five strikeouts.
However, Triolo is regarded for his fielding abilities, having won a Rawlings Gold Glove as the National League’s Utility Player of the Year in 2024. In that season, he recorded six defensive runs saved and three outs above average over 125 games.
In 2024, Triolo spent most of his time at third base (61 games) and second base (47 games), but also saw action at first base (9 games), shortstop (9 games), and even one game in right field. Offensively, he posted a .216/.296/.315 slash line, with 85 hits, 10 doubles, one triple, nine home runs, and 46 RBIs over 394 at-bats.
Triolo was called up by the Pirates on June 27, 2023, to fill in for an injured Ke’Bryan Hayes at third base. He impressed during his call-up, hitting .298/.388/.398 for an OPS of .785, with 54 hits in 181 at-bats, nine doubles, three home runs, and 21 RBIs in 54 games.
In addition to Triolo, the Pirates are also without two other infielders. Second baseman Nick Gonzales has been on the 10-day IL since March 28 due to a non-displaced fracture in his left ankle, while first baseman Spencer Horwitz is working his way back from a right wrist injury that kept him out of Spring Training and the first 10 games of the season.
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