Pirates Fired Up About Injured Pitcher's Return

Oviedo missed all of 2024 with recovery and aimed for an early return in 2025, but suffered a setback, with a right lat muscle in a live batting practice in early March, which put him back on the 60-day injured list.

Tomczyk said that Oviedo threw sim-games prior to the rehab assignment and built up to 50-55 pitches over around three innings. He also said that Oviedo will eventually increase to five-six innings, getting him back to a starting pitcher's workload.

The Pirates and Tomczyk are more focused on Oviedo and his execution of pitches, rather than amount, as he moves through rehab assignments at different levels throughoutt the minors.

They also want him readjusting to the pitch clock, which hurt him back in 2023, as he led the National League in 11 pitch clock violations.

“We are collaborating a meeting as a rehab group, pitching department, notable with Ovi’ to see how he responds, if he needs more," Tomczyk said. "It’s less about volume, overall volume, and it’s more about execution, how his body responds. The volume is part of, and he’s been built up to this volume, for him to withstand this volume. That’s just part of the journey of the next step. Less about overall volume, more about how he’s executing off the mound. 

“And what we did learn, that pitch clock for him it kind of got sped up the other night and that’s on us as a rehab team that we learned from that and we probably should’ve had him throw more sides and more lives with that pitch clock and that’s something that we didn’t foresee being an issue, but that is real, when a gentleman hasn’t pitched for over 18 months.”

Tomcyzk also likes that Oviedo is taking a slower approach to his rehab assignment and that he can't wati for him to finally realize his true form and get back to his best self.

“Yes. It’s a blessing and a curse," Tomczyk said. "I’m personally a little concerned when he figures out the pitch clock again, it’s just gonna be that ultra-competitor and Ovi’s just gonna come out and it’s gonna be guns’ a blazing’. So yes, I do think it’s a good thing.”

The Pirates acquired Oviedo in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals on Aug. 1, 2022, just after the trade deadline. Oviedo and infielder Malcom Núñez, currently with Triple-A Indianapolis, came in for left-handed starting pitcher José Quintana and right-handed relief pitcher Chris Stratton.

Oviedo made seven starts for the Pirates in 2022 following the trade, with a 2-2 record, a 3.23 ERA over 30.2 innings pitched, 28 strikeouts to 16 walks, a .198 opposing batting average and a 1.27 WHIP.

He served as a member of the starting rotation for the Pirates in 2023, with a 9-14 record in 32 starts, a 4.31 ERA over 177.2 innings pitched, 158 strikeouts to 83 walks, a .237 opposing batting average and a 1.37 WHIP.

The Pirates current starting rotation consists of right-handed pitchers in Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller and Mike Burrows, along with left-handed pitchers in Bailey Falter and Andrew Heaney.