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This week in MLB featured multiple key players returning from injuries, and the Pittsburgh Pirates made headlines again, for the wrong reasons.
Ronald Acuna Jr. and Spencer Strider return from the injured list –
The Atlanta Braves activated former 2023 MVP winner Ronald Acuna Jr. from the injured list on Friday. Acuna suffered a torn ACL on May 25th, 2024, ending his season. This was the second time in his young career that Acuna suffered an ACL tear, his first being in 2021.
Acuna returned from his first ACL tear in 2022, but struggled to meet his standards, slashing .266/.351/.413 with 15 homers and 29 stolen bases in 119 games.
He exploded the following year in 2024, running away with the MVP award after completing the first-ever 40-homerun 70 stolen base campaign. His slashline consisted of an absurd .337/.416/.596.
Due to his down season in 2022, coming off of his first ACL tear, fans were worried about another potential sluggish return for Acuna. He smashed all of that doubt 467 feet into the stands on the first pitch he saw in his return Friday night.
https://x.com/Braves/status/1926058877872721985
Acuna followed up his home run on Friday night with another bomb on Saturday. With the Braves still hovering around a .500 record, Acuna’s return will be key to continuing their season turnaround.
Not only did Acuna return this week, but 2023 All-Star Spencer Strider made his return to the mound. Strider, who missed almost all of 2024 with UCL reconstruction surgery. He returned for one start on April 16th, but landed right back on the IL with a hamstring strain.
Strider was activated for Tuesday’s game against the Nationals, in which he struggled. The righty lasted only 4.1 innings, surrendering six hits and four earned runs with one walk and three strikeouts.
“(I) didn’t give us a chance to win the game, really,” Strider said in a postgame interview. “(I) didn’t execute, stuff wasn’t consistent … not acceptable for me.”
Strider’s next start has yet to be officially announced, but it looks as if his turn in the rotation will come Tuesday, May 27th vs the Phillies.
Pirates shut down Paul Skenes‘ rumors –
ESPN insider Jeff Passan stirred the pot amongst the MLB rumor mil when he went on the Pat McAfee Show on May 14th, in which he said he believed there was a possibility that the Pirates could trade the young star pitcher.
https://x.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/1922721100267495692
“It’s not just Paul Skenes who deserves better, it’s Pittsburgh Pirates fans who deserve better, and they deserve a system that allows teams to keep great players,” Passan said. “Now, in some cases, guys will stay with small market teams; we’ve seen that … But what incentive does Paul Skenes have to extend with the Pirates when the Pirates haven’t shown the willingness – from Bob Nutting all the way down – or the ability to bring in guys who are going to make this team better? The Pirates haven’t shown that they are worthy of a Paul Skenes extension at this point.”
Skenes is in the midst of one of the best starts to a career MLB has seen in a long time. The 2024 Rookie of the Year winner posted a 1.96 ERA with 170 strikeouts and a WHIP under 1 in 23 starts and 133 innings throughout his first big league season. Through 11 starts and 68.2 innings this season, Skenes has posted a 2.36 ERA with 70 strikeouts. Even with this success, the Pirates sit at 19-35 through May 25th.
“You can make the argument that they should trade him now,” Passan said.”I’m not going to because I think the Pirates, with some of the players that they have coming up, would have a chance to win if they were to go out and actually bring in some offensive players and sign some free agents. But the truth is, there are teams already that are going to ask about Paul Skenes at the trade deadline this year. And I don’t anticipate that he’s going to be moved, but there’s a real argument to be made that the best thing for the Pittsburgh Pirates would be to move Paul Skenes while he has his most value.”
The speculation comes from the early success that Skenes has had and the impending contract he will eventually get. The Pirates have been known to trade star players instead of resigning them in the past, Andrew McCutchen and Starling Marte being two examples. The idea of trading Skenes now would net the Pirates a trade package MLB has never seen before, although Pirates’ general manager Ben Cherington shut those rumors down Thursday.
“No, it is not part of the conversation at all,” Cherington said when asked about these rumors.
Regardless of what the GM says, these rumors will continue to swirl, especially when a high-profile insider suggests it may be a possibility.
Jared Jones‘ season comes to an end –
On another note, for the Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers, right-hander Jared Jones was announced to be undergoing season-ending surgery.
In an update post on Instagram, Jones wrote, “I went through a successful internal brace surgery with Dr. Keith Meister and will begin this journey to getting back to the big leagues healthy and stronger than ever.”
Jones was a former second-round pick in the 2020 MLB draft out of La Mirada HS in California. He made his big league debut in 2024 and pitched to a very respectable 4.14 ERA in 22 starts and 121.2 innings for the Pirates. He was penciled in to be a staple in their future rotation alongside Paul Skenes and top prospect Bubba Chandler.
Jones will now face lengthy rehab and hopes to return to the mound in 2026.
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- Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, I fell in love with sports from a young age. Whether I was playing them throughout high school or in the yard with my friends, I knew I had found something I loved. Watching them was also a main part of my childhood, as I could name almost every player on all three Cleveland sports teams. Talking about sports is something I can do for hours, so as I got older, I quickly realized that I knew what I wanted to do. I started writing about sports and talking about sports in high school. It was fun and easy for me. My dream goal would be to become baseball analyst, covering breaking news and other stories in the sport. I've written numerous articles about sports including the Browns and the Guardians. I currently write for Kent Wired, where I expanded my knowledge to cover Health and Fitness. I have experience with Adobe Photoshop, Premier, and Audition. I work as the social media manager/representative for the Kent State Club Baseball team creating graphics mostly on Instagram and some on Twitter (X) . The goal of this is to get more engagement for the team, create awareness, and raise money. I also currently coach for a 17u travel baseball organization (Midwest Stars) out of Hudson, Ohio. Through this I have been able to continue my love for the game, give back to the community, and strengthen my leadership qualities. My passion for sports especially baseball remains unquestioned and I strive to continue to report on something I love.
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