Pirates place Andrew McCutchen on the 10-day injured list

The Pirates announced that Andrew McCutchen was placed on the 10-day injured list due to inflammation of the left knee, and infielder Alika Williams was called up from Triple-A to take McCutchen's place on the 26-man roster. Ryan Palencer of the website Bucs On Deck (X-Link) was first to report yesterday that Williams is heading back to the majors after McCutchen was ruled out of Friday's game with left knee discomfort.

While there's never a really good time for an injury, the knee issue comes at a particularly bad time for McCutchen, as the veteran was in the midst of his best stretch of the season. McCutchen has hit .281/.375/.483 with four home runs in his last 104 at-bats, boosting his overall slash line to .235/.336/.405 in 437 PA. That's a 109 wRC+ and another year of above-average performance — Cutch is now in his 16th MLB season and has only dipped below the 100 wRC+ average threshold once, when he slowed to a 97 wRC+ with the Brewers in 2022.

The loss of McCutchen to the IL is another blow to a reeling Pirates team. The Bucs' 5-3 win over the Mariners yesterday ended a 10-game losing streak that all but ended the club's chances of a NL wild-card berth. Even that win was bittersweet, as McCutchen was injured running to first base after a single in the seventh inning.

Aside from a few appearances in right field, the 37-year-old McCutchen was used almost exclusively as a designated hitter during his two-year return to Pittsburgh. The Pirates will likely simply use several players at the DH position to make up for Cutch's absence, while also giving some younger players more batting opportunities in what has suddenly become another evaluation period during the team's lengthy rebuild. Hopefully, McCutchen can be back soon to put a positive finish to his season and continue to prepare for another contract in 2025.