Nick Burdi, the hard throwing righty who has been better known for his heartbreaking injuries, has undergone Tommy John surgery and will miss the entire the 2021 season.
As a result, the Pirates designated him for assignment Sunday, alongside Dovydas Neverauskas, to get the roster down to 40 players ahead of Sunday's deadline.
In early August, Burdi told the team doctors that his right elbow “just didn’t feel right,” and he was promptly shut down for the rest of the season.
In mid-August, Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Burdi suffered a “significant strain” to his right forearm, but that surgery was not required at that time. Instead, he had a Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection followed by 10-12 weeks of rehab, but that was determined not to be enough. On Oct. 14, he underwent a UCL revision by Dr. Keith Meister.
Burdi, 27, is projected to return to baseball activities in 16-18 months.
This is the latest in a long line of major arm injuries for Burdi. He was limited to just three innings in 2016 due to what the Twins thought was a bone bruise to his right elbow. His first Tommy John surgery came the following year, and spent most of 2018 rehabbing it before making his major-league debut in September.
On Apr. 22, 2019, he collapsed on the mound at PNC Park, grabbing his right arm and writhing in pain. As it turns out, his 2016 injury was actually a symptom of thoracic outlet syndrome, a condition that would require another season-ending injury.
Burdi was limited to just 12 1/3 innings in his time with the Pirates.
If he clears waivers, Burdi can elect free agency. At that point, the Pirates could sign Burdi to a minor league contract to keep him in the system, if they so choose.
Speaking of the minors, that is likely where Neverauskas is heading, assuming no team claims him off waivers.
Neverauskas benefited from the expanded 2020 rosters and made it through the whole season in the majors for the first time of his career. Consistency didn't do him much good, going 0-3 with a 7.11 ERA over 19 innings pitched.
In his four year career with the Pirates, Neverauskas went 1-4 with a 6.81 ERA over 80 2/3 innings.
From a historical standpoint, among Pirates pitchers all-time with more than 50 appearances, Neveruaskas ranks last in ERA, ERA+ (63), home runs per nine innings (2.23) and second to last in FIP (5.94).
The Pirates also activated five players -- pitchers Jameson Taillon, Michael Feliz and Clay Holmes, outfielder Anthony Alford and utilityman Phillip Evans -- from the injured list.