Pirates place second baseman Nick Gonzales on IL with broken ankle
MIAMI (AP) – The Pirates placed second baseman Nick Gonzales on the 10-day injured list with a “non-displaced fracture of the left ankle,” Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton said Friday.
Gonzales was originally injured in spring training when he fouled a ball off his ankle.
He hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning of Thursday night’s season-opening 5-4 loss to the Miami Marlins and hobbled around the bases. Gonzales was removed from the game shortly afterward.
The Pirates called up utility player Enmanuel Valdez from Triple-A Indianapolis to fill the vacant roster spot.
Gonzales hit .270 with 49 RBIs in 94 games last season.
Pittsburgh Pirates’ Nick Gonzales hits a two-run home run during the sixth inning of an opening-day baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Pirates closer Dennis Santana goes viral for wearing shorts on mound
Social media was baffled when Pittsburgh Pirates closer Dennis Santana walked to the mound in “baseball shorts” on Wednesday afternoon against the Tampa Bay Rays. With the Buccos leading 4-2, Santana made his walk from the dugout with his pants rolled up above the knees.
It was a unique look, but proved that being a closer runs through his veins.
MORE: Pittsburgh Pirates star suffers freak injury after hitting HR on MLB Opening Day
You have to be a little quirky for the job, and Santana certainly fits the bill.
GQ shows off baseball’s power couple: Paul Skenes and Livvy Dunne
The same day a GQ magazine profile is published, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes led his team to its second win of the season.
Coincidence?
If Skenes has any say in it, he will propel the team to the post-season, he told GQ. Then, he will get to once again wear the black Gucci tie girlfriend Livvy Dunne bought him to wear to the ballpark.
The tie is now reserved for special events, he told the magazine, the next of which he hopes is the playoffs.
Dunne is doing her part too, telling GQ her superstition is yelling “Let’s go, Paul” before every pitch.
The article published Wednesday goes in-depth into the couple’s relationship, how they met, their respective successes in baseball and gymnastics and how they manage to stay grounded in a busy world of work, school and social media. The article referred to them as a Gen Z power couple.
Skenes, 22, is coming off a rookie season where he went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA. He started the MLB All-Star game, was named the NL Rookie of the Year and finished third in NL Cy Young voting. On Wednesday, he led the Pirates to a 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays by recording six strikeouts without a walk over seven innings.
Dunne, 22, is a popular gymnast at Louisiana State University, where the pair met, and a social media influencer with millions of followers.
