Hunter

Stratton

Stratton was added to Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster last week, but didn’t end up making the club’s season-opening roster. The 28-year-old righty should be one of the first calls for the Pirates when they need a fresh relief arm.

Stratton was signed to a minor league contract with an invite to big-league camp, and now he’ll be a part of the Pittsburgh bullpen. He’ll likely pitch in the mid-to-late innings to begin the 2025 campaign.

It was Stratton’s first time facing hitters since last August’s surgery to repair a ruptured patella tendon in his left knee. The 28-year-old right-hander will most likely open the regular season back at Triple-A Indianapolis, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see him join Pittsburgh’s relief corps at some point in the early stages of the year.

Stratton returns to Pittsburgh as extra organizational relief depth just a few weeks after being non-tendered. The 28-year-old righty, who missed the final month of last year after suffering a ruptured left patella tendon, posted a solid 3.26 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 43/10 K/BB ratio across 49 2/3 innings (44 appearances) over the past two seasons for Pittsburgh.

Stratton had a 3.26 ERA in 44 appearances for the Pirates the last two seasons, but he suffered a ruptured patella tendon in August and now the team has decided he’s not worth a 40-man spot. He could stay on a minor league deal.

As expected, Stratton is now out for the year after he ruptured the tendon while crashing into the wall behind home plate. The right-hander will hopefully be ready to return at some point in 2025. Brady Feigl was promoted to take Stratton’s place on the roster.

Ouch. He’ll continue to undergo further evaluation to determine the course of action in his recovery and how long he’ll be sidelined for, but he’ll almost certainly miss the remainder of the 2024 campaign. It’s a big blow to the Pirates’ bullpen as Stratton had pitched to a solid 3.58 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and a 33/7 K/BB ratio over 37 2/3 innings.

Stratton was running towards home plate to cover for a throw, and he slipped on the dirt track and crashed into the wall, banging his left knee in the process. He was unable to put weight on it upon standing and had to be carted off of the field. He’ll head for further evaluation to determine exactly what’s going on. The Pirates should have an update on his status once more information becomes available.

Stratton was sent down 10 days ago in spite of a 3.68 ERA in 36 2/3 innings. He’ll resume getting work in the sixth and seventh innings.

The Pirates needed to free up a spot in their bullpen for the promotion of Domingo Germán on Friday and unfortunately Stratton was the odd man out this time around. Stratton has pitched fairly well in 34 appearances out of the Pirates’ bullpen, posting a 3.68 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and a 33/7 K/BB ratio over 36 2/3 innings. It shouldn’t take him long to earn another opportunity with the big-league club.