The Pittsburgh Pirates received promising news regarding one of their potential starting pitchers, as right-hander Johan Oviedo began a rehab assignment. Oviedo, who has been sidelined for 18 months following Tommy John surgery and a lat strain, made a significant step by pitching in a Florida Complex League game—something Pirates senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk called a “monumental accomplishment.”
“All the effort he’s put in led to him pitching in the FCL on Monday, and he came out of it well,” Tomczyk said. Oviedo is expected to make his next appearance this weekend for the Low-A Bradenton Marauders. Prior to the rehab assignment, he had built up his workload by throwing simulated games, reaching 50-55 pitches over three innings. The goal is to gradually increase his outing to five or six innings.
Tomczyk emphasized that the team is more focused on Oviedo’s performance and how he adjusts to the pitch clock, rather than just limiting pitch counts. “The pitch clock sped things up for him a bit the other night,” he noted. “That’s on us—we probably should’ve had him practice more with the clock. It’s something we didn’t anticipate, but it’s very real after not pitching for over a year and a half.”
While there was initial concern about Oviedo ramping up velocity too quickly, the current focus is ensuring he maintains proper pacing to avoid pitch-clock violations. “It’s both a benefit and a challenge,” Tomczyk said. “I do think once he’s comfortable again, his competitive side will take over. That’ll be exciting to see.”
Additional injury updates:
- Colin Holderman (thumb): The right-handed reliever began his rehab with an FCL outing and was then moved to Triple-A Indianapolis. In his Triple-A appearance, he allowed two earned runs on three hits, struck out one, and threw 15 of 24 pitches for strikes. Tomczyk said Holderman felt great afterward and is “getting dialed in.” The thumb injury has lingered for 18 months, and he’ll be evaluated post-season to determine if surgery is necessary.
- Ryan Borucki (forearm): The left-handed reliever threw a bullpen session before Wednesday’s game and is showing solid progress in his recovery, which Tomczyk described as “very encouraging.”
- Justin Lawrence (elbow) and Tim Mayza (shoulder): Both relievers are throwing from 120 feet with strong velocity and intensity and are recovering well.
- Jared Jones (Tommy John surgery): Six weeks post-surgery, Jones has had his splint removed and is working on regaining his range of motion, with strength training as the next step. Tomczyk said his progress is going smoothly.
- Enmanuel Valdez (shoulder): Nearing eight weeks post-op, Valdez continues to focus on improving his range of motion.
- Endy Rodríguez (PRP injection): The catcher/first baseman has regained full range of motion two weeks after receiving platelet-rich plasma treatment.
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