ALTOONA, Pa. -- There's so much excitement right now about the Pirates' youth movement, but there was some tough news Tuesday about one of the Bucs' young minor-league stars.
Infielder Nick Gonzales, who hasn't played for the Class AA Altoona Curve since May 31 because of a heel injury, was transferred from the 7-day injured list to the 60-day IL.
Gonzales was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2020 draft and entered this season as the Pirates' No. 1 prospect, according to MLB.com.
There had not been any updates about the second baseman's injury over the past couple of weeks, but the Pirates' expectation had been that it was a minor injury, and the hope was that he would not have to miss much time. But the move to the 60-day IL will keep him out of competition until at least early August.
Gonzales had just turned 23 years old on May 27, four days prior to his final game before getting injured.
He is slashing .247/.366/.377 for Altoona this season, with four home runs and 15 RBIs in 43 games. He had an issue with strikeouts early in the season but improved in that area in later May. Still, he has struck out 61 times in 186 plate appearances for the Curve.
Gonzales had a big season in 2021 at high Class A Greensboro, batting .303 with 18 homers, 54 RBIs and a .950 OPS.
The Altoona club was featured on a broadcast by MLB.com earlier this month, and Jonathan Mayo had a discussion with Gonzales for a Q&A. Most of the questions were about the teammate relationship between Gonzales and shortstop Liover Peguero, but Gonzales was asked about making the jump up to Class AA.
"Yeah, it's been good, making our adjustments, having fun with (Peguero) over here," Gonzales said. "We're learning a lot and I think it's cool to see guys go to the big leagues. Guys who were on our team a few weeks ago are up in the big leagues, so we're all really excited and we’re looking forward to it."
Many Pirates fans are looking forward to the time when Gonzales can be part of the next wave of prospects to reach Pittsburgh. But for now, he'll have to miss a good bit of time this season to recover from his injury.
