Pirates starter and former Gonzaga ace Marco Gonzales placed on 60-day IL, ending his season

SAN DIEGO — Marco Gonzales is heading back to the injured list. The club announced Friday that Gonzales has been placed on the 60-day injured list due to a left forearm strain. This marks Gonzales’ second arm injury of the year. His placement on the 60-day injured list means he will miss the remainder of the 2024 regular season.

“It’s extremely challenging and unfortunate because of the fact that he did battle back and worked his butt off to get back,” Shelton said Friday before the start of his team’s three-game series against the Padres.

Acquired via trade in the offseason, the Pirates hoped to provide Gonzales with an opportunity to rebound from a 2023 campaign which was also cut short due to injury. Gonzales’ season started strong, but was quickly brought to a halt, as he was placed on the injured list due to a left forearm muscle strain on April 14.

After rehabbing for multiple months, Gonzales began a rehab assignment in early July. He then rejoined the Pirates on July 12, just a few days prior to the All-Star break. Gonzales has made seven total starts this season, going 1-1 with a 4.54 ERA. His last outing took place on Wednesday, Aug. 7 against the Padres, where he allowed five earned runs in 4 2/3 innings.