Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Steven Brault will be sidelined for at least two months after being diagnosed with a left lat strain, director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk told reporters.
Tomczyk said Brault’s injury can heal with rest. The 28-year-old felt tightness in his left arm while pitching during Friday’s spring training game against the Baltimore Orioles.
In addition, right-hander Blake Cederlind underwent Tommy John surgery on Tuesday and will be sidelined 14 to 16 months.
“There’s been a large cohort of professional baseball pitchers that have gone through this process, and there are many successes,” Tomczyk said. “So, I know Blake’s excited about this journey to get back, and we are going to help him in every facet of this rehab to ensure that he gets back to the way Blake’s pitched prior.”
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The 25-year-old Cederlind made five relief appearances for Pittsburgh last season. He gave up two runs, three hits and one walk and struck out four in four innings.
Brault was the Pirates’ top starter last season when he allowed just 29 hits and struck out 38 in 42 2/3 innings over 11 appearances (10 starts). He went 1-3 with a 3.38 ERA.
“I don’t want to put words in his mouth, but from my lens, from my perspective, when the doctors and the medical staff revealed this to him, there’s disappointment, frustration, but at the end of it, there’s opportunity,” Tomczyk said. “Fortunately, Steven has been through a long rehab like this prior, and he’s come back even stronger. And I know that’s where his mindset is right now.”
Overall, Brault is 12-15 with a 4.68 ERA in 100 appearances (45 starts) in five seasons with Pittsburgh.
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–Field Level Media