Pirates' Johan Oviedo: Cleared to begin rehab assignment
Rotowire
Oviedo (lat) was sent to the rookie-level Florida Complex League on Monday to begin a rehab assignment.
Oviedo missed the entire 2024 season following Tommy John surgery and then suffered a right lat strain during spring training. Given how long it has been since he's pitched in games, Oviedo is likely to use all of the 30 allotted days during his rehab assignment before the Pirates activate him from the 60-day injured list. The 27-year-old has minor-league options remaining, so he could stick around at Triple-A Indianapolis rather than rejoining the big club if the Pirates decide he's not ready to contribute at the major-league level once his rehab window closes.
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Pirates' Johan Oviedo: Advances to sim games
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Oviedo (lat) has progressed to throwing sim games, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.
Oviedo is at the Pirates' spring training facility for the next step in his recovery. He'll still need to embark on a lengthy rehab assignment before returning, but he is expected to rejoin the big-league rotation at some point after the All-Star break.
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Pirates' Johan Oviedo: Progressing
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Oviedo (lat) threw a bullpen session Tuesday and is expected to throw live batting practice later this week, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Oviedo is close to taking the next step in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in December of 2023. He'll likely need a lengthy rehab assignment after facing live hitters, so he likely won't return to major-league action until July. Oviedo posted a 9-14 record across 32 regular-season starts for the Pirates in 2023 and held a 4.31 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 158:83 K:BB across 177.2 innings.
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Pirates' Johan Oviedo: Nearing live BP
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Oviedo (lat) is throwing side sessions without any discomfort, MLB.com reports.
Oviedo has been throwing for roughly five weeks and is set to progress to live batting practice within the next week to 10 days. While he's most of the way through his recovery from Tommy John surgery, the right-hander will require a lengthy rehab assignment that will likely keep him out until some point in July.
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Pirates' Johan Oviedo: Resumes throwing
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Oviedo (lat/elbow) is throwing from 75 feet, MLB.com reports.
Oviedo had a recent check-up with doctors after being shut down with a lat injury this spring. The Pirates didn't make an official announcement, but the findings were apparently positive, as he has resumed throwing. Oviedo isn't eligible to return from the injured list until late May, though it's unclear if he'll be ready for game action at that point.
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Pirates' Johan Oviedo: Getting re-evaluated in four weeks
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Oviedo (lat/elbow) is scheduled to meet with his surgeon, Dr. Keith Meister, in approximately four weeks before a determination is made regarding whether the pitcher will be ready to resume throwing, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.
Dr. Meister performed Tommy John surgery on Oviedo's right elbow in December 2023, and the 27-year-old had seemingly avoided any snags in his recovery until he suffered a right lat strain while throwing a live batting practice session last week. The lat strain seems to be a greater concern for Oviedo than the integrity of his surgically repaired elbow, but he and the Pirates will nonetheless collaborate with Dr. Meister in late March or early April to decide on the right-hander's next steps. Since the Pirates placed Oviedo on the 60-day injured list last week, he won't be eligible for activation until late May, though he'll be able to start a minor-league rehab assignment before then if he's healthy enough to do so.
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Pirates' Johan Oviedo: Throwing live bullpens
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Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Oviedo (elbow) is in the "live bullpen" phase of his throwing program and has been cleared to make use of his full repertoire, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Oviedo underwent Tommy John surgery in December 2023 and missed the entire 2024 season, but he should be ready to resume pitching for the Pirates early in the 2025 campaign. Since he hasn't yet been cleared to face hitters at this stage of spring training, Oviedo seems unlikely to appear in any of the Pirates' initial Grapefruit League games, and a brief stint on the injured list to open the season could be in the forecast. During his last healthy season in 2023, Oviedo started 32 games and turned in a 4.31 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 158:83 K:BB in 177.2 innings.
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Pirates' Johan Oviedo: Completes bullpen session
Rotowire
Oviedo (elbow) threw a bullpen session Thursday, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Oviedo was sidelined for the entire 2024 season after he underwent Tommy John surgery in December of 2023, but he was regularly doing long toss off flat ground in September and has now reached another checkpoint in the recovery process by throwing off a mound. According to MLB.com, Oviedo is being viewed as a "full go" for spring training, but because he's returning from a major injury, the Pirates could bring him along more slowly than their other rotation candidates. The right-hander could build up his pitch count in simulated games on the backfields of camp before he makes his Grapefruit League debut.
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Pirates' Johan Oviedo: Expected for spring training
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Oviedo (elbow) has been throwing from 120 feet four times per week, MLB.com reports.
Oviedo has progressively ramped up his throwing distance and has not experienced any documented setbacks. He is expected to be ready for spring training, though his role on the team is unclear given the number of options the Pirates are projected to have for the rotation.
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Pirates' Johan Oviedo: Extends flat-ground distance
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Oviedo (elbow) has increased his throwing distance off flat ground to 105 feet as of Aug. 2, MLB.com reports.
Oviedo has been slowly increasing the distance in which he's playing catch since being cleared to begin a throwing program May 20, approximately six months after he underwent Tommy John surgery. The right-hander is hopeful to be fully cleared for spring training in 2025, but he'll still need to resume mound work and face hitters over the offseason in order to enter camp with no restrictions.
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Pirates' Johan Oviedo: Now throwing from 75 feet
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Oviedo (elbow) resumed throwing from 75 feet earlier this month, MLB.com reports.
Oviedo is likely to gradually increase his throwing distance off flat ground for at least another week or two before potentially graduating to throwing bullpen sessions. He'll miss the entire 2024 season while he continues his recovery from his Dec. 6 Tommy John surgery.
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Pirates' Johan Oviedo: Begins throwing program
Rotowire
Oviedo (elbow) began a throwing program last week at the team's facility in Florida, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Oviedo has begun throwing from 45 feet and will progress to 60 feet soon. He has already been ruled out for the entire 2024 season but is expected to be healthy for spring training heading into the 2025 campaign.
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Pirates' Johan Oviedo: Undergoes Tommy John surgery
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Oviedo (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
It was announced in late November that Oviedo would require the reconstructive elbow procedure, and the long road back to full health can now get underway. The 25-year-old right-hander is certain to miss the entire 2024 campaign.
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Pirates' Johan Oviedo: Hit hard in Philly
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Oviedo did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing six runs on seven hits and two walks over five innings in a 7-6 loss to the Phillies. He struck out six.
Oviedo got off to a good start Wednesday, delivering three shutout innings before the Phillies tagged him for six runs across the fourth and fifth frames. Oviedo had allowed just one run over 11 innings in his previous two starts despite walking 10 in that span. The 25-year-old right-hander flashed some potential this season, though control issues have led to inconsistent results. Oviedo will finish the year 9-14 with a 4.31 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 158:83 K:BB across 32 starts covering 177.2 innings.
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Pirates' Johan Oviedo: Overcomes struggles with control
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Oviedo allowed one earned run on four hits and five walks while striking out seven across five innings Friday against the Yankees. He did not factor into the decision.
Oviedo issued all five of his free passes in his first three innings of work, and he has now allowed 12 walks across his last 12.1 frames -- spanning three starts. He managed to avoid significant damage Friday thanks to some timely strikeouts, and he managed his highest punchout total in an outing since July 15. Oviedo has had an inconsistent season, but he's shown flashes of being an effective starter and has maintained a 4.27 ERA and 1.36 WHIP across a career-high 166.2 frames.
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Pirates' Johan Oviedo: Inefficient in no-decision
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Oviedo allowed three runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out four over 3.2 innings in a no-decision versus Atlanta on Saturday.
Oviedo failed to complete four innings for the second outing in a row. He had a season-high six walks in his last start, but Atlanta's offense was able to rack up hits with ease Saturday, though it failed to hit a home run off the right-hander. He's allowed at least three runs in four of his last six outings. For the year, Oviedo has a 4.34 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 140:71 K:BB through 161.2 innings across 29 starts. He's tentatively lined up for a home start versus the Nationals next week.
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Pirates' Johan Oviedo: Sharp in seventh win
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Oviedo (7-13) earned the win Tuesday, allowing one run on four hits and a walk over five innings against the Cardinals. He struck out five.
It was a solid performance from Oviedo, who'd allowed 10 runs over his previous two starts (nine innings). The lone damage against him Tuesday came on a Richie Palacios solo homer in the fifth. The 25-year-old Oviedo lowered his ERA to 4.46 with a 1.33 WHIP and 129:62 K:BB across 26 starts (145.1 innings) this season. He's currently lined up for a home matchup with the Cubs in his next outing this weekend.
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Pirates' Johan Oviedo: Scuffles against Reds
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Oviedo (6-12) absorbed the loss Friday versus the Reds, allowing six runs on five hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out four.
Things looked ominous right away for the big right-hander, as the first four batters of the game reached base and three of them scored. Oviedo looked like he might settle in after that, retiring 10 of the next 11, but then light-hitting catcher Luke Maile clubbed a three-run shot in the fourth inning. He needed 93 pitches to cover his five frames. Oviedo came into this one with a 2.32 ERA since the All-Star break, but this was certainly a step back.
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Pirates' Johan Oviedo: Blanks Brewers in win
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Oviedo improved to 6-11 on the season Sunday after tossing seven scoreless innings while allowing two hits and issuing three walks in a 4-1 win over the Brewers. He struck out six batters.
Oviedo was in complete command Sunday and continued his recent run of dominance on the mound. He's allowed one run or fewer in four of his last five starts and has 11 such starts this season, good for second in the National League. With Sunday's spectacular outing, Oviedo has tied Mitch Keller for the team lead with 12 quality starts and now possesses the lowest ERA on the team (4.21). He'll look to keep rolling in a projected start against the Reds next weekend.
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Pirates' Johan Oviedo: Sharp in fifth winn
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Oviedo (5-11) earned the win Tuesday, allowing a run on six hits and two walks over seven innings against the Tigers. He struck out five.
Oviedo's now won back-to-back starts, allowing just two runs over 13 innings after going 0-8 with a 4.83 ERA in his previous 11 outings. The 25-year-old right-hander now sports a 4.42 ERA with a 1.34 WHIP and 111:51 K:BB across 22 starts (124.1 innings) this season. Oviedo's currently projected to face the Brewers this weekend in his next outing.
