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Player Outlook
Nick Gonzales was once viewed the second baseman of the future in Pittsburgh, though as he's risen through the minor-league system, his strikeout rate has followed suit. Despite punching out at a 26.6 percent rate at Triple-A Indianapolis to start the 2023 season, he was promoted to the majors on June 23. As could be projected due to his struggles in the minors, Gonzales struggled in his first taste of big-league pitching by posting just a 64 wRC+ with a horrific .268 wOBA across 213 plate appearances. As a result, he was demoted back to Indianapolis in August, leaving Liover Peguero and Ji Hwan Bae to man second base. Gonzales will now enter 2024 in competition for the starting second base job with that duo. The good news is that neither of Bae nor Peguero were exceptional in their 2023 sample, though this is likely Gonzales's last chance to prove he won't turn into the latest disappointment in Pittsburgh.

Fantasy Stats

Year fpts
Fantasy Points
fpts/g
Fantasy Points per Game
r
Runs
hr
Home Runs
rbi
Runs Batted In
bb
Base on Balls (Walk)
sb
Stolen Bases
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Batting Average
2024 .000
2023 561.6 12 2 13 6 .209
2020 .000
3y Avg. 561.6 12 2 13 6 .209
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Fantasy News

  • Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Loses out on second base job

    Gonzales was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports. Gonzales entered camp with a chance to claim the starting job at second base, though he always appeared to be on the outside looking in. Positively, he struck out only 16.7 percent of the time across 36 plate appearances in Grapefruit League action. Gonzales should make his way back to Pittsburgh at some point in 2024, but for now, Liover Peguero and Jared Triolo are the top candidates to get plate appearances at the keystone.
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  • Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Scores one and hits double

    Gonzales went 2-for-3, hitting one double and scoring once in Pittsburgh's 9-8 loss to Baltimore on Thursday. Gonzalez is in a fierce competition for one of the final spots on the Opening Day roster, as the 2020 first-round pick is battling with Liover Peguero and Ji Hwan Bae for a utility infield job. Through a handful of spring-training at-bats, he's hitting .300, but he'll need to consistently maintain success after hitting just .209 last season across 35 games.
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  • Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Recalled from Indianapolis

    The Pirates recalled Gonzales from Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday. Gonzales is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Phillies, but he could get a start or two in the final week of the 2023 campaign. The 24-year-old middle infielder has struggled to a .216/.268/.353 batting line across his first 112 major-league plate appearances this season.
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  • Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Heads back to minors

    The Pirates optioned Gonzales to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday. Gonzales lost his spot on the 26-man active roster when the Pirates needed to make room for first baseman Alfonso Rivas, whom the team acquired from the Padres on Tuesday. Before the demotion to Triple-A, Gonzales had already seemingly lost hold of a regular role in the middle infield, as Liover Peguero and Alika Williams emerged as the Bucs' primary options at second base and shortstop, respectively. Gonzales turned in a .216/.268/.353 with two home runs and no stolen bases over 112 plate appearances with Pittsburgh in his first stint in the big leagues.
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  • Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Gets Saturday off

    Gonzales isn't in the Pirates' lineup Saturday against the Phillies, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Gonzales is 0-for-9 with five strikeouts across his last three games, so he'll get a day off Saturday to regroup. Alika Williams will draw the start at shortstop, and Liover Peguero will man second base while Gonzales rests.
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  • Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Sitting Monday

    Gonzales is not in the starting lineup Monday versus the Padres, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Gonzales will take a seat after he went 2-for-11 with a double and two runs scored over the team's series in Los Angeles. Tucupita Marcano will take over at second base and bat eighth in the series opener at San Diego.
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  • Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Racks up three hits

    Gonzales went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, two RBI and two runs scored in Tuesday's 9-7 win over the Dodgers. He began his career with three hitless efforts, but he's now racked up three straight multi-hit games. Gonzales has showed solid power with two home runs, three doubles and a triple among his 11 hits through 11 games. He's added nine RBI and eight runs scored and should continue to split time between second base and shortstop while Ji Hwan Bae (ankle) is out.
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  • Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Launches second homer

    Gonzales went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in Sunday's loss against the Brewers. Gonzales was responsible for the Pirates' only two runs off Colin Rea with a two-run blast in the second inning. The 2020 first-round pick has gone 6-for-19 (.315) with two homers in his last six games after going 0-for-8 to start his big-league career. Gonzales is now slashing .222/.267/.556 with seven RBI and five runs scored through his first 30 plate appearances after batting .257 with a .820 OPS with Triple-A Indianapolis.
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  • Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Heads to bench

    Gonzales will sit Saturday against MIlwaukee. Gonzales sits for the second time in eight games since getting called up for the first time last week. He's managed three extra-base hits, including one homer, but he's also striking out at a 32.0 percent clip. Ji Hwan Bae and Tucupita Marcano will be the middle infielders Saturday.
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  • Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Called up Friday

    Gonzales was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday, Stephen J. Nesbitt of The Athletic reports. Gonzales will join the Pirates in Miami and will be poised to make his major-league debut some time this weekend. The 24-year-old has produced a .257 batting average with six homers, 27 RBI, 38 runs and a stolen base over 218 at-bats in 57 games for Triple-A Indianapolis this season. Gonzales was selected in the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft but has seen his prospect status diminish in the last couple years due to injuries and a hit tool that hasn't developed as quickly as the organization hoped. He could still get a long look in the majors as the Pirates try to find a long-term solution at second base.
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  • Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Starts rehab assignment

    Gonzalez (heel) reported to the FCL Pirates to begin a rehab assignment Friday, John Dreker of PiratesProspects.com reports. Gonzalez has been sidelined by plantar fasciitis since the end of May but has been cleared for game action in the Florida Complex League. The 23-year-old has a .742 OPS in 43 games for Double-A Altoona this year and will likely require a handful of rehab games before being reinstated to the active roster.
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  • Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Close to shedding boot

    Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Gonzales (heel) will shed his walking boot in 5-to-7 days, Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Gonzales has been in a walking boot since late June, but he's been able to swing and play catch while in the boot recently. The 23-year-old will presumably be able to ramp up his activity level once he sheds his boot, but it's not yet clear when he'll be able to return to game action.
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  • Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Resumes baseball activities

    Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Gonzales (heel) has been participating in baseball activities while in a walking boot, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports. Gonzales isn't expected to shed his boot for another 7-to-10 days, but it's encouraging that he's been able to swing and play catch while in the boot. It seems likely that the 23-year-old will still be sidelined several more weeks, but he's made encouraging progress so far.
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  • Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Managing right plantar fasciitis

    Gonzales is dealing with right plantar fasciitis and will be required to spend 2-4 weeks in a walking boot, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports. Gonzales was transferred to the 60-day injured list Tuesday and will be shut down for several weeks after visiting with a foot and ankle specialist. While the right-hander was initially believed to be dealing with heel soreness, he'll likely be kept out of game action until at least late July or early August following his new diagnosis.
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  • Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Shifts to 60-day IL

    Double-A Altoona transferred Gonzales (heel) from the 7-day injured list to the 60-day iL on Tuesday, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports. When he was first placed on the IL on June 1, Gonzales was considered day-to-day with heel soreness, but the injury was evidently more serious than the Pirates initially believed. The 2020 first-round pick now looks like he'll be sidelined through the end of July, which is another blow to what had already been a somewhat down season for the 23-year-old. Prior to getting hurt, Gonzales was producing slightly better than the league-average player (113 wRC+, .341 wOBA) and had struck out in 32.8 percent of his plate appearances.
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  • Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Moves to 7-day IL

    Double-A Altoona placed Gonzales (heel) on its 7-day injured list Thursday, Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. The Pirates initially believed Gonzales was dealing with a minor contusion on his heel, but the issue has since proven to be a little more serious than the organization anticipated. That being said, a long-term absence doesn't seem to be in the forecast for Gonzales, who is also expected to change his cleats with the hope of mitigating any potential heel problems moving forward. Gonzales is hitting .247 with four home runs and four stolen bases across 186 plate appearances at Altoona this season.
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  • Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Shows signs of life in Double-A

    Gonzales went 3-for-4 with a homer and two doubles for Double-A Altoona on Tuesday, followed by two more hits Wednesday, but he's still hitting just .243/.363/.378 on the season. It's been an awfully tough campaign to this point, but Gonzales seems to be getting right at the dish, as he now has a six-game hitting streak going. As of May 10, he was hitting .180/.324/.292, so he's certainly made significant strides recently. With a sky-high 34.1 percent strikeout rate, it's very clear what Gonzales needs to work on right now -- and he has made some progress on that front over the course of this streak. He'll likely need to do a lot more, though, before the Pirates see fit to promote him to Triple-A.
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  • Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Looks good in spring action

    Gonzales went 5-for-11 with a pair of doubles, a steal and a 1:2 BB:K during the Pirates' spring-training slate. Fresh off dominating performances in High-A (.303/.385/.565) and the Arizona Fall League (.380/.483/.549), Gonzales just keeps hitting everywhere he goes. His next test will come in Double-A, where he'll open the 2022 campaign, and if his spring performance is any indicator, he won't be intimidated by the increased level of competition. If the Pirates were more competitive, Gonzales would have a shot at coming up this year -- and if Diego Castillo doesn't work out, he still might -- but it's more likely that he'll be in position to push for an Opening Day roster spot next season.
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  • Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Massive day at High-A

    Gonzales went 4-for-7 with three home runs, eight RBI and an additional run Sunday for High-A Greensboro in its 19-11 win over Asheville. Gonzales got off to a slow start to his professional career, but the 22-year-old has looked the part of a top-10 draft pick over the past month and a half. Dating back to July 16, Gonzales is slashing .361/.424/.639 with 23 extra-base hits and a 23.3 percent strikeout rate in 36 games.
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  • Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Big night at plate

    Gonzales went 2-for-4 with a double and his seventh homer Wednesday for High-A Greensboro. After enduring a 5-for-57 stretch, Gonzales has collected 24 hits in his last 65 at-bats. The second baseman has some pronounced splits thus far: he's slashing .300/.364/.620 with seven homers at home and .232/.315/.280 with no home runs on the road. After compiling an 89:79 BB:K in college, Gonzales has put up a 17:61 BB:K, something to watch as he moves through the professional ranks. Still, if he continues to hit at Greensboro then it wouldn't be surprising to see the 22-year-old promoted to Double-A prior to season's end.
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