Pirates right-hander Hunter Stratton suffered a left knee patella tendon rupture in the course of the fourth inning of the Bucs’ 10-2 loss to the Reds on Saturday. Stratton had simply entered the sport in reduction of Jake Woodford, and his fourth pitch of the looks was a wild pitch that evaded catcher Joey Bart. As Jonathan India raced residence to attain from third base, Bart’s toss to Stratton (masking residence plate) bounced off Stratton’s glove and rolled to the backstop. Whereas in pursuit of the free ball, Stratton stumbled and jammed his left leg into the stone wall behind the plate.
Stratton was down for a number of minutes within the aftermath of the play, and needed to go away the sphere on a cart. Submit-game, supervisor Derek Shelton instructed the Pittsburgh Tribune-Assessment’s Justin Guerriero and different reporters that Stratton was receiving an MRI and that the state of affairs “didn’t look good. I might say that is going to be vital time [out].”
Official phrase on Stratton’s standing ought to come at the moment when he’s inevitably positioned on the injured checklist, however between the character of the knee damage and the late date on the baseball calendar, it will definitely look like Stratton’s 2024 season is over. The query now’s how a lot time the 27-year-old might want to get better, and the way a lot of his 2025 marketing campaign could possibly be impacted.
A Sixteenth-round choice for the Pirates within the 2017 draft, Stratton didn’t make his MLB debut till 2023, when he had a 2.25 ERA over 12 innings as a September call-up. Pittsburgh non-tendered Stratton following the season however then re-signed him to a brand new minor league contract, and he was a part of the membership’s Opening Day roster this yr. The righty’s first full Main League season has included a six-week stint on the IL as a result of a triceps pressure, and now this flukish patella tendon rupture that can carry his yr to an in depth.
When wholesome, Stratton has pitched respectably effectively, posting a 3.58 ERA over 37 2/3 reduction innings. Whereas his strikeout price is a modest 20.9%, Stratton has carried out a superb job of inducing tender contact, and he has averted free passes to the tune of a 4.4% stroll price. The latter stat is probably the most vital a part of Stratton’s improvement into an enormous leaguer, as he had a 12.98% stroll price throughout his 392 profession innings within the Pirates’ farm system.
