Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher suffers season-ending injury

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Pirates have lost one of their relievers for the remainder of 2024 after he suffered an injury that will keep him out of action until the end of September.

The Pirates announced that right-handed pitcher Hunter Stratton suffered a tear in his left patellar tendon and that they are placing him on the 60-day injured list, which will end his season. The Pirates have called up left-handed pitcher Brady Feigl from Triple-A Indianapolis in his place.

The patella, or kneecap, is the tendon that attaches to the shinbone. If someone tears this, they will experience pain when walking and may not be able to straighten their knee.

Stratton threw a wild pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning that catcher Joey Bart couldn't catch, and he had to run to catch it. Stratton ran to home plate to try to take out Cincinnati Reds second baseman Jonathan India, who attempted to steal the ball but missed as it bounced off his glove and went to the backstop.

He ran behind home base to get the ball, but slipped in the dirt and ended up lying on the ground with severe pain and a sprain in his left knee.

The Pirates would bring in left-handed pitcher Jalen Beeks, and Stratton would need medical personnel to come onto the field and take him away.

Stratton was previously placed on the 15-day injured list on June 14 after suffering a strained right triceps, and after rehab appearances in the minor leagues, he left the injured list on July 26 and returned to the Pirates on August 19.

This season, he has pitched 36 games as a bullpen pitcher, with a record of 2-1, a 3.58 ERA in 37.2 innings pitched, and 33 strikeouts with seven walks.

The Pirates selected Stratton in the 16th round of the 2017 MLB Draft after he played two seasons as a pitcher for Walters State Community College in Morristown, Tennessee. He played in the minor leagues from 2017-2023 before the Pirates signed him to the team on September 4, 2023.

He pitched in eight games for the Pirates last year and had a 2.25 ERA in 12.0 innings pitched with 10 strikeouts and three walks.

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