Pirates place Kyle Nicolas on injured list; Bryan Reynolds getting pregame work at first base

Noah Hiles / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

ST. LOUIS — Kyle Nicolas will miss the remainder of the 2024 season, the team announced Wednesday afternoon. Nicolas was placed on the 15-day injured list due to a left oblique strain, an injury he sustained Monday, where he was removed after facing just one batter.

A 25-year-old right-hander, Nicolas experienced a handful of highs and lows throughout his first full season in the major leagues. He was promoted from Triple-A on April 26, after a strong start to the year in Indianapolis (0.84 ERA in nine games).

Nicolas struggled with control early on, most notably on May 11, when he walked three batters and hit another in Paul Skenes’ big league debut. But as the year progressed, he showed notable improvement, posting a 2.57 ERA during his 10 appearances in June and then an 0.84 ERA during his 10 outings in July.

After remaining steady throughout most of August, the challenge of a full major league season seemingly took its toll in September, where he allowed six earned runs over 6 ⅔ innings (8.10 ERA). He finished the year having pitched in 51 games, going 2-2 with a 3.95 ERA over 54 ⅔ innings.

“A lot of steps forward there,” Shelton said. “I think this guy’s got a chance to be a really effective leverage reliever for us. We see the stuff. Everybody sees the stuff. The consistency is something that we’re continuing to work on.

“… The consistency is something we’re going to need to continue to work on and it’s unfortunate because I really would have liked to have seen him pitch over the last 10 games, but overall I would say it’s definitely a positive season.”

Replacing Nicolas on the active roster will be right-hander Jake Woodford, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday. Right-hander Ben Heller was moved to the 60-day injured list to make room for Woodford on the 40-man roster. Woodford will start Wednesday evening against the Cardinals, his former team. He is 0-6 with an 8.01 ERA in eight big league outings this season, and is 0-4 with a 6.95 ERA in six outings, four starts, with the Pirates.

“Obviously we needed innings and Nicolas went on the IL with a left oblique strain from the game the other night,” Shelton said. “Just a transition of someone that could provide us innings and someone that’s pitched in the big leagues before in Jake’s case.”

Reynolds to first base?

Prior to the start of Wednesday’s game, All-Star outfielder Bryan Reynolds was seen fielding ground balls in foul territory while wearing a first base mitt. Shelton was asked during his pregame availability about Reynolds’ work. The Pirates’ skipper explained that Reynolds will remain in the outfield for the rest of the 2024 season, but could see a position change in the future.

Derek Shelton said Bryan Reynolds has been talking about playing first base for three years. He recently got a first base glove. He's just getting in pregame work now. Shelton does not expect Reynolds to see any game reps at first base this season. pic.twitter.com/oOp4hAiZjn

— Noah Hiles (@_NoahHiles) September 18, 2024

"There's potential. I think we have to see how it goes, see how the work goes. I watched him do a little glove work yesterday. It's good. He's got good hands. I think the thing when we started to talk about it, it's a different case scenario with Cruz because we wanted him to get out there. But in this case, we started to talk about it, I would rather him do it, have a couple weeks doing it with Donny and Mendy before he gets to Nashville in the winter time, calls me and says, 'Hey, I can play first base.' I would rather our guys see that, and kinda work on it as we move forward."

Endy Rodriguez update

Pirates catcher Endy Rodriguez took another notable step forward in his return from Tommy John, starting at catcher Tuesday evening in a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis. Rodriguez finished the contest with a pair of hits, and an RBI.

"Very excited,” Shelton said. “Two hits, a walk, advance on a dirt ball or stole a base. Very encouraging. Endy is a big part of what we're doing moving forward. I really appreciate the work that he's put in. Our medical group has come in. The fact that he was able to catch last night is definitely a pleasant moment for us, because we're getting a guy back at his primary position."