Dauri

Moreta

The right-hander is currently recovering from the Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery that he underwent last March. He hasn’t had any setbacks and is right where he should be in his progression. The Pirates are going to bring him along cautiously. Expect him to be ready to join the Pirates’ bullpen at some point before the All-Star break.

The 28-year-old hurler is still in the process of recovering from Tommy John surgery that he underwent last March. Cherington did note that he is right where he should be in his progression and looks good so far, he just won’t be facing hitters early on in spring camp. While it won’t be to start the season, Moreta should return and make an impact in the Pirates’ bullpen at some point in the first half of the season.

The 27-year-old was already on the 60-day injured list, but he’ll be sidelined for the next year after he underwent surgery to repair his ulnar collateral ligament. According to the Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk, Moreta did undergo Tommy John surgery, which matches up with the timeline of his return at some point during the 2025 season.

We still haven’t heard the full extent of the injury for Moreta, but the Pirates already announced that he would be out for an extended period of time, so this move isn’t surprising. The move frees up a spot on the club’s 40-man roster for the official addition of Michael A. Taylor on Saturday.

The 27-year-old hurler was pulled from Sunday’s Grapefruit League outing with a right elbow injury after he experienced a significant dip in his velocity. The team is still in the information-gathering stage, but it’s looking like a near certainty that Moreta will begin the regular season on the injured list — and could be stationed there for a while.

Moreta’s fastball velocity was down significantly before a visit from the Pirates’ training staff prompted his removal from the contest. The 27-year-old righty made a career-high 55 relief appearances last year for Pittsburgh. He’ll presumably head for some additional testing to determine the severity of the issue.

With Colin Holderman (thumb) heading to the injured list, Moreta will get another opportunity to pitch out of the Pirates’ bullpen. The 27-year-old right-hander has posted a 4.24 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and a 66/24 K/BB ratio over 51 innings in 50 appearances with the Pirates this season. He’ll function in a middle relief role for Pirates’ manager Derek Shelton.

The move comes three days after Moreta was activated from the injured list. Heavily used earlier this season, Moreta began to fade in May and heads to Triple-A now with a 4.24 ERA in 51 innings.

Moreta missed most of August with lower back soreness. The 27-year-old has had a breakout season in Pittsburgh, posting a 4.10 ERA and 1.20 WHIP across 48 appearances. He will likely slide back into a seventh or eighth-inning role.

In his first rehab appearance since landing on the injured list in early August, the 27-year-old fired a scoreless inning and stuck out two batters. He will likely need another appearance or two before he is ready to return to the Pirates bullpen.