Pirates pitcher Nick Burdi left Monday night’s game agaisnt the Diamondbacks after appearing to seriously injure his arm. Burdi threw a 1-0 fastball to Jarrod Dyson in the top of the eighth inning and immediately grabbed at his right elbow before crumbling to the dirt on the mound. Burdi was visibly in tears on the mound. Just a heartbreaking moment. Don’t watch it if you can avoid it.
Burdi, 26, was once a top prospect in the Twins’ system. The Phillies acquired him in December 2017 in the Rule 5 draft and traded him to the Pirates that same day for international bonus slot money. Burdi underwent Tommy John surgery in 2017 as well. He made his 2018 debut in mid-July after fully rehabilitating.
Burdi allowed five runs on four hits and a walk, recording just one out in Monday’s appearance. He now has a 9.35 ERA with 17 strikeouts and three walks in 8 2/3 innings on the season. It looks like he could be going on the injured list for a while, unfortunately. Hopefully, the injury isn’t anywhere near as bad as it looked. The Pirates should pass along an update on Burdi’s status by tomorrow afternoon.
