Johan

Oviedo

Oviedo and Dr. Keith Meister will then collaborate on the next steps. The 27-year-old was placed on the 60-day injured list Wednesday and won’t be eligible to return until the end of May at the earliest. Once healthy, Oviedo should occupy a spot in the back of the Pittsburgh rotation.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton told reporters Monday that Oviedo is dealing with a right lat issue that cropped up during his last throwing session as he continues to work his way back from Tommy John surgery that he underwent back in December, 2023. The 27-year-old right-hander has progressed to facing hitters in live batting practice sessions, but is going to spend a few months down at Triple-A Indianapolis before he’s an option for Pittsburgh’s exciting rotation mix.

The hope is that Oviedo will be ready to open the year at the back of the team’s rotation. If not, Caleb Ferguson could step in for a spell.

Oviedo was looking for $1.15 million. The right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery in December of 2023, and is expected to be able to return at some point in 2025 as a depth option for the Pirates this summer.

The procedural move opened up a spot earlier this week on Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster to finalize a contract with soft-tossing lefty Josh Fleming. Oviedo will miss the entire upcoming 2024 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery back in December.

Barring any setbacks during his lengthy recovery process, Oviedo should be ready to return for the 2025 campaign. It’s a significant loss for the Pirates’ starting rotation, but they still have plenty of time to address their pitching needs ahead of spring training.

It’s a significant loss for the Pirates’ starting rotation mix heading into next season as Oviedo will likely be sidelined until the outset of the 2025 campaign. There were rumblings earlier this month that he was dealing with right elbow pain, and might ultimately require surgery, so the latest development doesn’t come completely out of nowhere. The 25-year-old righty, who would’ve entered next spring as a borderline top-100 starting pitcher in fantasy drafts, was a reliable workhorse this past season for the Pirates, posting a solid 4.31 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 158/83 K/BB ratio across 177 2/3 innings over a career-high 32 starts.

That’d be a definite blow to the Pirates. Oviedo was inconsistent last season, but he wound up making 32 starts with a 103 ERA+ and did so for the minimum salary. Starting pitching was already a huge need for the Pirates this winter, and having to replace one of the two sure things in their rotation would make fielding a competitive pitching staff even more expensive.

Oviedo had the benefit of facing the Phillies’ “B” lineup after they clinched Tuesday, yet he did nothing with it. Fortunately, the offense picked him up, so he avoided taking a 15th loss, which would have tied for the NL lead. Oviedo’s 4.31 ERA will wind up right around the league average, and he should enter spring training with a rotation spot to lose in Pittsburgh.

Given what the rest of his outings have looked like, it’s pretty amazing that Oviedo has allowed one or no runs in 15 of his 31 starts this year. The end result has been a 4.12 ERA, which is perfectly fine and should pretty much ensure that Oviedo is a part of the Pirates’ 2024 rotation. His 152/81 K/BB ratio in 172 2/3 innings is less encouraging.