Injury News for a Member of the Pirates Starting Rotation
Earlier today, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced that starting pitcher Chris Archer underwent surgery. The procedure, which was thoracic outlet surgery, occurred yesterday afternoon. The news was first announced on the Pirates official Twitter page.
Yesterday, Chris Archer underwent surgery to relieve symptoms of neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome.
Archer is projected to return to full competition for the 2021 season.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 3, 2020
After several consultation appointments with various doctors, Archer went through with the surgery. Essentially, during the procedure, doctors go in and either remove an entire rib or a part of a rib which is causing discomfort among the nerves in the shoulder or armpit area.
When the news was announced, it came as a surprise. Archer seemingly finished this past season healthy despite having an ineffective season overall.
Recapping the 2019 Regular Season for Archer
Archer pitched his first full season with the Pirates last year. The 31-year old, right-handed pitcher made 23 starts for the team. He pitched to the tune of a 5.19 ERA. While Archer had a stellar 10.8 K/9, he finished the regular season with a 5.01 Fielding Independent Percentage (FIP) and an 8.6 H/9.
Overall, last season was very disappointing considering that the Pirates gave up a lot to acquire him from the Tampa Bay Rays. Archer was traded to the Steel City in exchange of right-handed pitcher Tyler Glasnow, outfielder Austin Meadows, and a player to be named later. The player to be named later ended up being right-handed starting pitching prospect Shane Baz.
Final Thoughts
Following a disappointing 2019 campaign, Pittsburgh was hopeful of a significant bounce back season for Archer this year. However, those hopes were first set aside by the Coronavirus. Now, this news puts a definitive end to those hopes and alters the Pirates starting rotation in a significant way, should there end up being a season this year.
Now, Chris Archer and the Pirates must focus on 2021. The future might not be promising for Archer considering some of the other names that have received the surgery before. Three examples include: Matt Harvey, Tyson Ross, and Tyler Thornburg. All three pitchers didn’t have a smooth path back to the majors.
Regardless, Archer’s future in Pittsburgh remains unknown considering he is on the hook for an $11 million dollar club option for 2021. The injury hurts his case for that to be picked up.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
