The Pirates reinstated Kranick (elbow) from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday.
Kranick has spent all season on the IL while working his way back from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent last June. The right-hander most recently made the fourth appearance of his rehab assignment Wednesday with Indianapolis and will stick around with the affiliate now that he's been activated. Kranick has covered between one and three innings in each of his rehab appearances thus far, so he could be deployed as a multi-inning reliever at Indianapolis rather than as a traditional starter.
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Pirates' Max Kranick: Sharp in Friday's rehab start
Rotowire
Kranick (elbow) struck out four and gave up one hit and one walk over 2.2 scoreless innings Friday in his rehab start for Triple-A Indianapolis.
Kranick was lit up for five earned runs while recording just four outs in his first rehab start for Single-A Bradenton on Aug. 13, but he's bounced back well over his subsequent two outings, striking out six while issuing just one walk in 5.2 innings. The right-hander is working his way back from Tommy John surgery in June of 2022 and looks as though he's being built back up to a starting role, as he tossed 44 pitches Friday. Kranick will likely make at least two or three more rehab appearances for Indianapolis before the Pirates entertain the possibility of bringing him back from the 60-day injured list.
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Pirates' Max Kranick: Shifts rehab to Triple-A
Rotowire
Kranick (elbow) had his rehab assignment shifted to Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday, MLB.com reports.
Kranick struggled across two outings and 4.1 innings by allowing five earned runs with Single-A Bradenton. He turned things around a bit in his opening appearance with Indianapolis, allowing only one hit across 2.2 scoreless innings while striking out four and walking one. Kranick is returning from Tommy John surgery, and it's possible that he will be activated from the injured list at some point in September.
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Pirates' Max Kranick: Beginning rehab assignment
Rotowire
Kranick (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Bradenton on Sunday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Kranick has been working his way back from a Tommy John procedure that he underwent in June 2022, and he is now set to begin the final stage of his rehab process. Kranick will likely require multiple starts in the minors before returning to Pittsburgh, but he could be back by early September if all goes well during his assignment. The 26-year-old righty holds a 5.56 ERA and 1.65 WHIP through 43.2 innings across his big-league career.
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Pirates' Max Kranick: Nearing rehab assignment
Rotowire
Kranick (elbow) is on track to begin a rehab assignment early next week with Low-A Bradenton, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
Kranick is over 14 months removed from Tommy John surgery and should be an option for Pittsburgh's pitching staff around the beginning of September if all goes well on the farm. It's not yet clear whether the Pirates plan to bring him back as a starter or reliever. They could use help in either area of the depth chart.
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Pirates' Max Kranick: Goes on IL
Rotowire
The Pirates placed Kranick (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.
The move frees up a 40-man roster spot for Mark Mathias, whom the Pirates acquired from Texas on Wednesday. Kranick isn't expected to return until late in the season, if at all, as he recovers from June 2022 Tommy John surgery.
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Pirates' Max Kranick: Eyeing late April for mound work
Rotowire
Kranick (elbow) is expected to resume throwing off a mound in late April, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.
Kranick, who underwent Tommy John surgery last June, has reported to the Pirates' spring camp and is soon expected to resume throwing five times a week. He'll gradually stretch out his throwing distance off flat ground before advancing to bullpen sessions at some point over the next three months, but it doesn't look as though he'll be on pace to pitch in games until August or September, in a best-case scenario.
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Pirates' Max Kranick: Undergoes Tommy John surgery
Rotowire
Kranick underwent Tommy John surgery Saturday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Kranick was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on May 12, but he didn't make any appearances following his demotion due to his forearm/elbow injury. The right-hander will be forced to miss the remainder of the 2022 season and a significant portion of the 2023 campaign following Saturday's procedure. It's a discouraging development for the 24-year-old, who displayed increased velocity this year and posted a 2.70 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 6.2 innings over three appearances (two starts) in Indianapolis.
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Pirates' Max Kranick: Dealing with arm injury
Rotowire
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that Kranick may be shut down for "a little bit of time" with a right forearm/elbow injury, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Since being optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis following his three-inning relief appearance with Pittsburgh on May 11, Kranick hasn't pitched for the Pirates' top affiliate. He was placed on Indianapolis' 7-day injured list Tuesday, with Cherington later revealing the nature of Kranick's injury. The 24-year-old will most likely miss several weeks while recovering from the arm issue.
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Pirates' Max Kranick: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
Kranick was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday.
The 24-year-old has made two relief appearances for the major-league club this year, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out four over five scoreless innings. In spite of his strong results, Kranick will head back to the minors after Duane Underwood (hamstring) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Thursday.
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Pirates' Max Kranick: Three scoreless frames
Rotowire
Kranick allowed two hits and a walk while striking out one across three scoreless innings Wednesday against the Dodgers.
Kranick followed Dillon Peters in a piggyback appearance, and he's now turned in five scoreless innings to begin his season. Kranick got a delayed start to the campaign after landing on the injured list with a forearm issue and has shuffled between Pittsburgh and Triple-A Indianapolis since being activated. Kranick was in the big-league rotation for part of the 2021 season, so it's reasonable to expect he may get the chance to start at some point in the coming months.
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Pirates' Max Kranick: Rejoins big-league roster
Rotowire
The Pirates recalled Kranick from Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday.
Kranick was optioned to Indianapolis on Sunday after he was called up to serve as the Pirates' 27th man for the club's doubleheader Saturday with the Reds, but he'll be eligible to return to Pittsburgh just two days later due to outfielder Jake Marisnick (thumb) being placed on the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move. While he's with Pittsburgh, Kranick is expected to work out of the bullpen as a long-relief or multi-inning option.
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Pirates' Max Kranick: Activated, optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
Kranick (forearm) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
He gave up four runs (three earned) over 6.2 innings over three rehab appearances. Kranick could rejoin the big club as either a starter or multi-inning reliever.
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Pirates' Max Kranick: Works three innings
Rotowire
Kranick (forearm) allowed one unearned run on one hit and one walk while striking out two across three innings in a rehab start with Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday.
This was Kranick's second rehab outing with Indianapolis and his longest appearance of the season as he works his way back from a forearm strain he sustained during the lockout. The 24-year-old made his major-league debut in 2021 but struggled to a 6.28 ERA with a 1.71 WHIP across 38.2 innings. He is likely to remain in Triple-A after being activated from the injured list, but given the current state of the Pirates' starting staff, Kranick could be called upon to enter the big-league rotation at some point this season.
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Pirates' Max Kranick: Rehab assignment shifts to Triple-A
Rotowire
Kranick (forearm) will continue his rehab assignment at Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.
Kranick began his rehab assignment at Low-A Bradenton but hasn't appeared in a game since April 12. He threw a side session in Indianapolis on Tuesday and is expected to appear in a game for the Triple-A club Friday. It seems likely that he'll remain in Indianapolis when healthy since he's out of options.
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Pirates' Max Kranick: Completes bullpen session
Rotowire
Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Kranick (forearm) threw a side session at Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Kranick made his first rehab start for Low-A Bradenton on April 12, but he may have suffered a minor setback coming out of that outing, as he hasn't pitched since. The fact that he hasn't been shut down from throwing can be viewed as a positive sign, and he looks poised to throw again this weekend. If all goes well, Kranick could make his second rehab start at some point during the upcoming week for Indianapolis.
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Pirates' Max Kranick: Starts up rehab assignment
Rotowire
Kranick (forearm) is scheduled to make a rehab start Tuesday for Low-A Bradenton.
Kranick didn't see any action during the Grapefruit League slate while he recovered from a right forearm strain, so Tuesday's outing will likely be the first of multiple rehab appearances for the 24-year-old before he's activated from the 10-day injured list. The time Kranick missed along with the fact that he has minor-league options remaining likely means that he'll be sent to Triple-A Indianapolis once reinstated, though the organization's plans for him could change if the big club has an opening in the rotation a few weeks down the road.
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Pirates' Max Kranick: Takes no-decision
Rotowire
Kranick allowed three earned runs on five hits and two walks with two strikeouts through four innings, taking a no-decision in Saturday's 8-6 win over the Reds.
Kranick struggled to subdue Cincinnati's bats; the big blow came in the fourth via a two-run shot by Eugenio Suarez that gave the Reds a 4-0 lead. Thankfully for Kranick, the Pirates rallied to spare him the loss. The right-hander finishes the season with an inflated 6.28 ERA and a suboptimal 32:19 K:BB. Even with these numbers, Kranick flashed upside in his first campaign (he was pulled after five perfect innings in his MLB debut against the Cardinals in June), and will squarely be in the fight for a roster spot next season.
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Pirates' Max Kranick: Fires five shutout innings
Rotowire
Kranick (2-3) earned the win Sunday versus Philadelphia with five shutout innings. He allowed four hits and three walks while striking out five.
The right-hander operated on thin margins, but he was able to preserve the one-run lead afforded by Cole Tucker's leadoff home run. Kranick hadn't kept runs off the board since his five perfect innings versus St. Louis on June 27. For the season, he's pitched to a 6.23 ERA, 1.70 WHIP and 30:17 K:BB across 34.2 innings at the big-league level. He lines up for one more start next weekend versus Cincinnati.
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Pirates' Max Kranick: Draws another start
Rotowire
Kranick will start Sunday's game in Philadelphia.
Kranick will make his second straight turn through the rotation after he struck out six and gave up three runs over five innings in a no-decision last weekend in Miami following his call-up from Triple-A Indianapolis. The rookie right-hander is sitting on a 7.28 ERA overall through his first seven big-league starts.
