Aug. 12: Burdi won’t require surgery to repair what is being termed as a significant forearm strain, Tomczyk tells reporters (Twitter link via Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). The Pirates believe the injury is related to Burdi’s prior TOS procedure. He’ll receive a platelet-rich plasma injection and be shut down for the next 10 to 12 weeks before being reevaluated.
Aug. 5: The Pirates announced today that they’ve placed reliever Nick Burdi on the 45-day injured list. He’s said to be dealing with a right elbow injury. Utilityman JT Riddle has been activated from the injured list to take the open roster spot.
While the full outlook isn’t yet known, this is just wretched news for Burdi. The team already has seen enough to know he won’t be able to return in 2020, director of health medicine Todd Tomczyk told reporters including MLB.com’s Adam Berry (Twitter link).
The 27-year-old flamethrower has dealt with numerous significant arm issues over his halting career. He has already rehabbed through Tommy John and thoracic outlet surgeries. Burdi was once a top 50 draft pick and a high-profile prospect in the Twins’ system, but those arm woes have prevented him from capitalizing on his talents. Burdi has a career 3.44 ERA and better than 12 punchouts per nine innings pitched in the minors. He picked up his first big league save in 2020 and held opponents to a run on two hits and two walks with four strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings.
this guy is almost as made of glass as Greg Bird
You sir, are overflowing with class. Well…and a need for some basic editing.
Pretty darn cool sitting on the internet ridiculing dudes that have ten times the talent you have. So, so cool.
Nice ripping Ducky. We need more of this on the multitude of idiots on here.
How is he ridiculing him? He is basically saying he can’t stay healthy like Greg Bird. Maybe it’s just me but I interpreted it as both guys have talent but their bodies don’t hold up.
He’s not saying the injuries are minor or he isn’t tough for not playing through it. It’s like saying “Grady Sizemore is a case if ‘what could have been’ without all the injuries”. Nothing negative just a statement of fact.
So much anticipation for a prolonged stretch of good health and again, Burdi is derailed. “If only…”
Deals a blow to the Bucs World Series hopes
You’re not wrong.
I feel so bad for this kid. He has the stuff, and was doing so well. I just want to see him do good. I know we’re tanking but at the very least it was fun watching him pitch.
youtube.com/watch?v=gMXDenMxtgE
sad but true…… The Rule 5 saga continues. Lost track of how many he needs to be on the active roster still to satisfy the Rule 5 requirements. I, like you, feel so bad for the guy.
My guess is that he needs another one to two months.
You can think of it as a moot point though as he is old enough now to earn his spot when he is healthy.
If he ever really gets healthy.It seems to me that all of these major injuries have a deleterious affect on future pitching health.
The arm is not designed to throw baseballs this fast.
On top of the speed at which they throw the breaking stuff too, especially sliders. Crazy to think the back when I was a kid that if pitchers broke 90 the really were bringing the heat. The only guy hitting 100 was Ryan
I meant to say that also as they look at the spin rates but not what they do the arm.
I remember in high school one pitcher who supposedly could throw 90 mph and that was really humming it.
I think that in the ML many could throw in the low 90’s but very few would hit 95.
Ryan was a physical exception to say the least.
I remember Tom Seaver used to say that the key was having strong legs and striding into the pitch.
Back in the day if a pitcher had a serious arm problem he was done.But relatively few showed up with them.I do not understand why more emphasis is not put on a guy throwing 92 with good location.
I will say it again. There is no correlation with high velo and pitching injuries. The TJ monster can hit any one at anytime as any pitch over 90 mph puts enough stress on the elbow to tear the UCL. It is literally Russian Roulette. You can throw 91 or 101, it happens to all of them.
False.If that were true these extremely high numbers of arm injuries would not be cropping up in the numbers that they are.
Pitchers were not dropping like flies in the 1960’s and 1970’s and 1980’s.
The slider started becoming popular in the 70’s and I think that factors in. 12-6 curveballs don’t have near as much stress on the body as a hard slider, and it seems like the vast majority of current pitchers throw sliders. We have pitchers throwing sliders 88-92 mph, which not too long ago used to be the average velocity of fastballs.
Good point.
Pitchers were also racking up higher innings and complete games in the 60’s-80’s. What has changed? Pitchers are bigger and stronger so what do pitchers today have to deal with that pitchers 30+ years ago didn’t?
Some dropped off the map while others flourished and had long careers. Lots of 20 game winners and challenging for 300 wins. So, what is the big difference outside of quick hooks from managers?
Injuries have nothing to do with velocity.
Form, how a pitch needs to be thrown, and mechanics are the primary reasons guys get injured.
Spin rate, movement, and so many different analytics make pitchers throw a lot different than they did back in the 20s-90s.
You see more injuries now a days cause pitching has changed as mentioned above and some arms can’t endure what it takes to achieve those things consistently.
That said, Wyoming, what needs to be done to keep pitchers on the field? Shouldn’t this be looked at?
Injuries have everything to do with velocity.
The increased spin rate may very well be an important contributing factor but how have the other things changed since the 1960’s?What does analytics have to do with this?Are you saying that proper form and mechanics were taught much better years ago?
I also think that pitchers kept something in reserve then and throw every pitch 100% now.
And they pay for it by not being able to help their team and shortening their careers even with modern medicine.
Honestly?
Expand rosters so teams can carry more pitchers.
30-32 players all season. MLB wants to reduce game time…..hitters can’t leave the box more than once or twice during an at bat or at all, pitches can only only step off the mound of throw over two-three times during an at bat with a runner on base. Shortening game time and more available players are ways to reduce injuries.
Teams have already began to adapt inadvertantly. Guys are only going through the lineup twice and some teams use pen arms to go 1 or 2 innings on a pen day.
You could reduce the number of games from 162 to 140, 130, 100, or even 82 which would reduce the workload and provide more rest days for guys throughout the season.
There’s ways to do so but most people won’t be inclined to approve of changes that’d actually reduce injuries.
Mendoza – since the 60’s, besides an increase in velocity, what has changed in the game? I think we’re onto something here and I agree with you on the 100% velocity. That is a case of pitchers having their innings limited and pitch counts limited in the minors, and they know they can go all out for 5 innings and not break a sweat.
Wyoming – first thing I would do is lift the mound back to 15 inches the way it was 1968 and prior to. There are other changes I would make, albeit very unpopular, but that is the first of many.
Velocity isn’t the issue.
Guys tweaking their arm slots, pitch angles, and overall mechanics to gain more velocity on their pitches is the issue.
Guys doing the same things to gain more movement and spin rate on their pitches is also a reason.
How have the other things changed? Guys are throwing their fastball less and secondary offerings more. Fastball usage has declined since 2008 and fastball velocity has increased since then as well. Guys are literally trying to add more heat to their fastball when they do use it and throwing more changeups, sliders, curve balls which put a good amount of strain on arms.
I believe there is a very simple reason for it. I also believe arm slots have been tweaked for decades with various pitchers throwing from various angles.
There has been 1 big difference over the last 30 years. It has more to do with the hitters than the pitchers. Although I’d argue the umpires do not stretch the plate the same way they used to.
Wyoming-This is clearly a case of the tail wagging the donkey.
Honestly.
I think that teaching proper form and mechanics may be a lost art but it is especially important for pitchers who can throw 92+ and with high spin rates so that their arm does not fall off.
Wild Bill- I hope with all due respect that you were not a pitcher with your name.
You may be right about the umpires which could be league wide based on the desire for more runs from the time of the steroid era.
But you surely do not want the Eric Gregg type umpire who would call strikes two inches off the plate.
Mendoza – I pitched a little. Mop up duty. Innings eater. But I like where you were going.
Definitely no Eric Gregg. Blue Jays/Marlins last night had a guy behind the dish calling what I thought was a consistent zone with more leeway between the belt and letters. One was right at the top of the letters and I am fine with that. 1997 Eric Gregg, not so much.
Manfred (and Selig) have turned the game into a more offensive-focus yet Manfred wants quicker games. Can’t have both.
Maybe these injuries are beginning as youngsters as youth baseball has changed a lot since I was a kid.
They may very well be throwing a lot more breaking balls a lot earlier.
While this substantial extra amount of ballplaying may very well help hitters and fielders perhaps it is actually harming pitchers.
I know that now the innings are limited in the pros but perhaps that is not building up arm strength in the minor league pitchers after their bodies have fully developed that is needed later on.
They may think that they can go all out but it catches up to almost all of them.
I am not saying that velocity is the only reason but I think that it is an important one.The stronger and more mature hitters,and the wider areas of the globe that are producing them,cause the pitchers to think that they have to give it 100% on every pitch.
To paraphrase the old 1999 Nike adage….
Chicks dig the fast ball.
Long games have hurt the sport that we all love.
I am not exactly sure how it has degraded in this manner although there are definitely more in inning changes than from years ago.
They seem to be trying to shorten the games but it does not seem to be working.
Wild Bill- You seem to know what you are talking about which is more than I can say for about half of these posters.
My pitching career lasted two relief appearances when I was ten years old and although I did well I quit while I was ahead.
I like the higher mound concept and it is so basic that it is genius.
I am sure that Bob Gibson would agree with you.
Tc-You are technically correct.
It is very basic Mendoza. Another basic change I’d consider is higher seams on the baseball. I remember how high the seams were on an NCAA baseball versus MLB. If that means better grip, leading to better control, possible win on both sides.
As for speed, mandate that hitters can’t leave the box unless it’s after a foul ball. Small change but that could lead to less crap in-between pitches.
Wild Bill ,please do not make too many intelligent suggestions on this website.
They make too much sense.
I’m with you 100%… feel awful for this guy, he can’t catch a break…
The Pirates are not tanking.
They are this bad naturally.
Shelton uses too many lineups,plays people out of position,and is mystified by the use of relievers.
Other than that he is fine.
I have followed baseball since 1961.It seems to me that throwing as hard as you can on every pitch has diminished the game so much because of all of the arm injuries.No pitcher can keep healthy.The length of the games,the injuries,and the gross competitive imbalance have all taken down our national pastime.
I agree with you a lot of what you are saying but the thing with differing lineups, it looks like many clubs are using the same approach, especially in the NL as no one has a set DH like many teams in the AL have. With the expanded rosters many managers seamed to be playing with multiple lineups. This just got to be a big topic in Pittsburgh talk radio over the last couple of days. Have not had time to take a closer look at it yet but seams like the talk guys are just blowing it up because they are losing. and something they found to rip the club over. Planning on looking closer this weekend when I have more time to see how prevalent the changing lineups are. Who besides Tucker is playing out of position though? They want him on the field but are not taking Newman off short yet. Everyone else seems to be playing in position. Just not good enough at the moment.
Go-You also saw what happened to Evans when he was playing out of position.
They expect these athletic guys to be ML players at practically every position but pitcher and catcher and they do not realize that it takes years to get good at any one position to be able to do it well in the Ml.
Of course there are guys like Sean Rodriquez but they are clearly the exception.
Del Pozo = Tanking
Del Pozo = stupid manager and even stupider GM.
I do not believe that any professional manager would bring in a pitcher who will certainly fail because the manager knows that he will fail.
I think that Shelton wants to find out about his players.But he keeps on going to this guy and I saw it with Hurdle the second half last year where his players just gave up.The best managers may only win a couple of extra games a year but they do not lose the games like Shelton has been doing.Hopefully he learns and very quickly.
I read where Tucker broke in on a ball in right field that may have cost them the game.There are few players who can play both the infield and outfield at a high professional level.He is the one who I was thinking of.
I know that days of one position players are over but I live near Philadelphia and have seen the results of playing Kingery everywhere for two years but second base.
These guys are professionals but constant lineup changes I think are disquieting.The players may not admit it or they may be flexible enough to do it but I think that it shows a lack of confidence in the hitters.
Changing the lineup around continuously may very well be the current rage as the overuse of statistics was last year but I think that continuity is generally the best policy as the players,now as before,would feel most comfortable in knowing what their role is on the team.
Cole Tucker, another quality Pittsburgh Pirates 1st Round Pick… Not!!!
Tucker seems to be a pretty good player who in management’s genius like mind thinks that he can play anywhere.
He is a shortstop.Play him there.See what he can do.
Let Newman play second base.Move Frazier around.Trade him if they can get a couple good young players.
Tucker is a good enough player that he deserves a consistent chance.He is still young.Let him play for a year at one position and see how he does.
With this pitching staff and rookie manager it is not like they do not have the time to experiment.
Burdi again has an injury to his wing !!
Poor kid must have walked under 400 ladders or something. Broken a truckload of mirrors.
He’s hurt all the time
Every time he gets taken out of the game the PA should play bye bye birdie.
This is hard to watch! The Bucs have a chance to be historically bad with a winning pct. under .300
That is 48 wins in a regular season,and even at their worst I think 52 in a 154 game schedule was their worst.
You will figure out not to watch them much longer as they are playing AAAA baseball.
At least they’re keeping games close. 7 of their 9 losses have been by three runs or less, including five one run losses.
I do think that Shelton is right when he says that there is a lot of fight in them.
But constant losing drains the individual players of confidence.
That is why the manager almost has to be perfect in times like this and this is where veteran managers have an advantage.
Eleven games is too little to tell and hopefully this does not keep up but these hitters are just not doing the job.
I am afraid that Josh Bell especially is not the real thing.
Bell will come a Star once Boros gets him out of Pittsburgh. Very bad baseball Developement in Pittsburgh’s Minor league operations. Name three 5 star Pittsburgh Pirates players that came through Pirates system in the last 20 years?
McCutcheon,Marte,Cole,Taillon(If healthy)
Too bad Burdi never had Cervelli as his catcher. That would be a battery made of glass.
TIN MAN – Dump him.
I made a comment last week on the rash of all sorts of MLB injuries, a large % seem to be muscle strains, etc. Unfortunately some are more severe.
One MLB writer talked about the stress of playing this season, along w/ 2 “spring trainings”.
Sure seems like an abnormal number of injuries after 2 + weeks into the season,
Gi-I agree.Seems clearly more than normal.But normal now,especially for pitchers,is much much more than it was 30-50 years ago.