As we do every Sunday, we’ll feature some notes from Ben Cherington's weekly radio show here:

• Cherington on the tragic incident that occurred on Wednesday where Kavan Markwood fell 21 feet from the top of the Clemente Wall at PNC Park: "It was certainly one of the scariest things I have ever seen at a ballpark. ... We're thinking of Kavan. We're rooting for him, praying for him and really hoping that recovery continues. It was a really scary moment and all you can do is pray, have good thoughts and really hoping Kavan pulls through."

• Cherington on the decision to send Kyle Nicolas down to Indianapolis: "We know we need our bullpen to be as full and competitive as it can possibly be. We're going to play competitive games like we did last night. We're going to play games where the game is in question as we get into the sixth and seventh innings, so we need as many options that are in a position to help us either shut down an inning or keep a score close." 

• With Dennis Santana coming back from the bereavement list, Cherington said they felt Tanner Rainey put himself in a position down in Indy where he was starting to look like his normal self the way both his fastball and slider were playing. 

"Let's take advantage of that, let's take that opportunity and get Rainey in the mix." 

• Cherington said Nicolas has the talent to be one of the best relievers in the National League, but it's about consistency and the confidence that comes with the consistency.

"Just didn't seem like he was in that spot right now. Working through some things, so we made that decision to get him back to Triple-A. That's obviously not where he wants to be, but let's get him back to Triple-A so he can work himself back into a spot where he's really confident in everything he's doing. Inevitably, at some point, there will be another opportunity again and we hope he forces his way back into the picture." 

• On the injury front, Cherington said the belief is that Tim Mayza will eventually come back to help the Pirates at some point this season.

• Cherington said they're still learning about Justin Lawrence's elbow inflammation. They're hopeful that his injury can be managed conservatively. 

• Cherington the expectation is that a better portion of the 20-day position player rehab will be used for Spencer Horwitz to get up to speed before debuting for the Pirates. 

"We haven't made a final decision about how long exactly it's going to be, but he hadn't played a single baseball game in 2025 prior to this rehab assignment, so let's give him as close to a spring training as we can. So far, so good. The at-bats have been good, he's seeing pitches, swinging at good pitches and his exit velo is right in line with where he's been in the past, which is a pretty good sign for a wrist injury." 

• Horwitz will likely move to Indy "sometime soon," Cherington said. 

• Cherington said they think Horwitz can play a part in helping the offense when he returns.

"We know we need to score more runs. That's the bottom line. We need the strongest group of 13 position players on the team in order to do that, to build the fullest, deepest lineups we can." 

• Nick Gonzales is starting to run, taking part in full baseball activities and is getting closer to beginning a rehab assignment. No timetable, but Cherington said the hope is that he's "days away from that." 

"It's really getting through that running progression now so then he can be ready for a rehab assignment." 

• Paul Skenes only had a season-low two strikeouts in his last outing, but Cherington said he doesn't think he's trying to alter his approach on the mound. 

"I don't think he's intentionally trying to strike out fewer hitters, I think he's certainly intentionally always adjusting for himself and to the opposition. Certainly the opposition will continue to adjust to him." 

• Cherington remembered being a Red Sox fan growing up and complaining about a start Roger Clemens had where he gave up three runs in six innings. He said his coach looked at him and said, 'Do you know how many people would die to throw five or six innings in a major-league game and give up three runs? What is your standard?'" 

Cherington said the disappointment in Skenes only going five innings and allowing three runs during his last start brought him back to that moment. 

"That's the curse. He set himself that bar, and of course he wants to set it that high, and we want him to set it that high, too. We're not complaining about that bar, let's keep it really high and keep pushing, but we have to just remember some perspective. It wasn't his best outing this past week and he's going to have great ones ahead of him. He's a human being, he just happens to be an elite one and an elite competitor. We're used to seeing great things, but he's still a human being."

• Cherington said they're staying short-term about how they're monitoring Skenes' workload. They're trying to look ahead every two weeks and trying to look at the whole group. 

"There will be times when, because of an off day, where we let everyone get the extra day. There may also be times, with an off day, where we look to keep Paul or someone else on four days rest because we think they're recovering really well and that just gives us a better chance to win." 

• Cherington said Oneil Cruz has stayed disciplined and sold out to his approach, regardless of who he's facing. He's starting to take "team at-bats" by taking more walks, too, which helps when he's hitting at the top of the order. 

"He can impact the game from that first at-bat." 

• Cherington said he expects to see Liover Peguero in the lineup at some point, but that Isiah Kiner-Falefa's hamstring injury is expected to only keep him on the injured list for a short-term stay.

• Cherington said he believes Derek Shelton has made an effort to try and give both Tommy Pham and Alexander Canario opportunities to get going. Canario has started the last three games and now Pham is back in the lineup this afternoon. 

"We'll see where that goes."