Before Tuesday night’s home game against the Cincinnati Reds, the Pittsburgh Pirates placed reliever Colin Holderman on the injured list. It’s Holderman’s second trip to the IL already this season. This time, right thumb inflammation lands him on the IL. Pitcher Isaac Mattson has been selected from Triple-A Indianapolis to take Holderman’s spot on the active roster. To make room for Mattson on the 40-man roster, Nick Gonzales has been transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day IL.
We have placed RHP Colin Holderman on the 15-day injured list, and selected the contract of RHP Isaac Mattson from Triple-A Indianapolis.
INF Nick Gonzales has been transferred from the 10- to 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-man roster.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 20, 2025
Pirates Place Holderman on IL
Holderman has been part of an ineffective bullpen that’s contributed mightily to the Pirates’ woes this season. He’s given up 15 earned runs in 15 innings pitched and has two blown saves, although he’s also been credited with two “holds.” In April, he went on the IL with a knee sprain. A frequent target of fans’ vitriol, perhaps his struggles may be due to gamely trying to pitch through injuries.
Acquired from the New York Mets at the 2022 trade deadline, in 2023, he emerged as a reliable eighth-inning specialist. He was credited with 23 holds in 2023 and 21 more in 2024. Last year, he was at his best, posting a 3.16 ERA, which would have been even better but for an ugly five-game stretch from July 28 to August 7, when he gave up nine earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. He returned from the IL strong, giving up just two earned runs in 9 1/3 September innings.
Gonzales to 60-Day IL
In what foreshadowed the disaster that this Pirates season was to become, second baseman Nick Gonzales hit a home run on Opening Day – and promptly suffered a “nondisplaced fracture of the left ankle” while rounding the bases, landing him on the IL. He had just begun a rehab assignment at Indianapolis, during which he went 0-for-6 in two games. There’s no word on what prompted this latest development on his injury status. It’s bad news for an anemic offense that hoped to get a jolt from the return of Gonzales and Spencer Horwitz. The former No. 1 draft choice has hit .256/.300/.392, 10 HR, and 64 RBI in three major league seasons.
Up With Mattson
Mattson, like Holderman a right-hander, has seven major league appearances under his belt, four with the Baltimore Orioles in 2021 and three with the Pirates last year. These amounted to 9 2/3 innings where he gave up six earned runs. Of 46 batters faced, he’s walked 10 and hit another. It’s gone better for him in Indianapolis this season. He’s allowed five earned runs in 18 innings pitched. His control problems appear to be behind him. He walked five of his 72 batters faced in Triple-A. Pittsburgh baseball fans might better remember Mattson as a pitcher for Pitt from 2015-17. In three seasons competing in the ACC, he was 4-1 with a 3.47 ERA in 60 games, including one start.
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