An already murky Pirates rotation mix is now facing even more uncertainty, as that righty is dealing with an arm injury thats believed to be serious. The team hasnt announced details or a precise diagnosis, but Mackey writes that Tommy John surgery is among the potential outcomes, so it would seem theres some degree of ligament damage at play. Oviedo, 25, came to the Pirates in the 2022 trade that sent lefty to the division-rival Cardinals. Prior to the revelation of this injury, the righty had been locked into a 2024 rotation spot after taking the ball 32 times and pitching to a 4.31 ERA over the life of 177 2/3 innings. Its hardly elite production, particularly when coupled with sub-par strikeout (20.6%) and walk (10.6%) rates, but Oviedo at least looked like a solid fourth starter who could be relied upon to take the ball every fifth game and keep his club in the game more often than not. Obviously, the mention of even potential Tommy John surgery throws a major wrench into that projection. Thats particularly problematic news for a Pirates team that is generally lacking in established starters. Longtime top prospect took a step forward in 2022-23 and is the unquestioned leader of the staff, but certainty thereafter is minimal. Right-hander took a step back in 2023, while fellow righty had his own Tommy John surgery. Deadline pickup has had some past succe s with the Phillies but Minnesota Twins Jersey struggled between both Pennsylvania clubs in 2023. Young right-handers and each made at least 10 appearances, but neither cemented himself as a big leaguer. Alternative options like , and are similarly unproven. General manager Ben Cherington that his focus has been on starting pitching. Cherington presumably knew of Oviedos situation at the time of those comments, so this may not nece sarily add any urgency to that search, but the revelation of Oviedos injury adds context for potential trade partners and agents as the Bucs explore ways to add to the rotation. With such ample uncertainty beyond Keller, itd be fairly surprising if the Pirates didnt add at least two arms to the rotation group for the upcoming season (to say nothing of veteran depth on minor league deals and some potential pickups of 40-man starters with minor league options remaining). As things stand, the Pirates project for just a $53MM payroll in 2024, per Roster Resource. Even by their bottom-of-the-league standards, that leaves ample room for the team to add some experienced arms to the staff. and are the only players under guaranteed contracts, while the quintet of Keller, Brubaker, , and are . Pittsburghs franchise-record Opening Day payroll was just shy of $100MM back in 2016. They operated with a payroll a bit north of $70MM in 2023. Oviedo isnt even arbitration-eligible yet and wont be until after the 2024 season. Hes currently under club control for another four years, so even in the event that Oviedo does require UCL surgery, the Bucs could potentially get another three years out of him (2025-27) before he reaches free agency. Trevor Larnach Jersey