Gorski, Burrows join Pirates ahead of finale with Angels
Matt Gorski and Mike Burrows have both been added to the Pirates' 26-man roster.
Jack Suwinski has been optioned to Indianapolis to make room for Gorski on the 26-man roster and Tim Mayza (left arm) has been added to the 60-day IL to make room on the 40-man. Justin Lawrence (right elbow inflammation) has been added to the IL to make room for Burrows on the active roster.
Gorski, 27, was pulled out of the Class AAA Indianapolis' lineup yesterday and manager Chris Truby told him he would be heading to the big leagues, accomplishing a goal he's had for quite some time.
"It's been a long journey for me," Gorski said. "I know there's a lot of guys who break into the league before 27 years old. There's guys who come in at my age and play for 10, 12 years. Hopefully I'm going to be one of those stories and not the other way around."
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound outfielder, who will start at first base tonight, said he was calling family members for about an hour last night before catching a flight to Los Angeles and getting in around midnight and going to bed at 2 a.m., Pacific time. He'll have plenty of supporters in attendance as he said his dad and stepmom flew in from Naples, Fla. and his wife also flew in last night. His brother-in-law and a friend will also be here as well.
For Gorski, this opportunity has been a long time coming but he made quite an impression this spring as he hit four home runs and tallied 14 RBIs. He carried that strong spring performance over into the start of the season with Indianapolis as he was hitting .300/.325/.529 with a .854 OPS through 18 games. He also tallied seven doubles, three home runs and 14 RBIs.
"Just carrying the confidence over," Gorski said about his success to start the season. "Nothing really mechanical wise I've changed. Nothing crazy I've done from spring training. It's just getting those consistent at-bats and the weather breaking has been big. Not wearing four different layers to try to hit makes it a lot easier. It's been a good month so far. I'll try to continue."
One of the things that has held Gorski back over the years is his strikeout rate. He struck out 124 times last season and 116 times the year before for rates of 32% and 28%, respectively.
Derek Shelton said this afternoon that they made some changes within their hitting group in the offseason that have helped Gorski, and seeing those improvements carry over into the spring made an impression on him.
"We saw improvement of that during spring training and he had a good spring and then he’s carried that over into Indianapolis," Shelton said. "I think the one thing we do know about him is his ability to impact the ball. He can make ballparks look small, he’s got some power, has flexibility to play all three outfield positions, can play first base, really good athlete. He’s one of those fun stories."
Burrows also received the news yesterday and went through a throwing program before catching a flight to Los Angeles. He actually didn't realize that Gorski was promoted until this morning when he saw him in the hotel lobby.
Along with a few others, Burrows was just as happy to see a teammate he's had for a long time.
"I've been playing with Gorski for so long now, and every level, that guy has played so well," Burrows said. "For him to get his opportunity today, it's going to be awesome."
While Gorski will get this experience for the first time, Burrows has been here before. He made his major-league debut on Sept. 28 of last season against the Yankees after returning from Tommy John surgery. He threw 3 1/3 innings, allowed two hits, one earned run and struck out two.
"Just ready to come in and compete, do whatever I can to help the team win," Burrows said. "End of the season was a little different because we knew where we were and we knew what was happening towards that point. But it's a different time now because we're trying to turn the tables and get back on track."
Shelton said that Burrows will work out of the bullpen moving forward and could work in a few different roles. Burrows started four games for Indianapolis this season and produced a 4.30 ERA in 14 2/3 innings of work. He walked seven and struck out 13.
I spoke with Burrows in spring training and he said he'd talked with the Pirates about working in a Luis L. Ortiz type of role and provide length out of the bullpen in a long relief type of role. However, he's ready to do whatever is asked of him.
"I just feel like, for myself, I'm mentally prepared for any situation," Burrows said. "You tell me to throw, I'm just going to throw. I'm going to go out there and compete. Whatever role that is, however many innings you want, I'm just going to go try to get the most I can."
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THE ASYLUM
Greg Macafee
10:33 pm - 04.24.2025Anaheim, Calif.Gorski, Burrows join Pirates ahead of finale with Angels
Matt Gorski and Mike Burrows have both been added to the Pirates' 26-man roster.
Jack Suwinski has been optioned to Indianapolis to make room for Gorski on the 26-man roster and Tim Mayza (left arm) has been added to the 60-day IL to make room on the 40-man. Justin Lawrence (right elbow inflammation) has been added to the IL to make room for Burrows on the active roster.
Gorski, 27, was pulled out of the Class AAA Indianapolis' lineup yesterday and manager Chris Truby told him he would be heading to the big leagues, accomplishing a goal he's had for quite some time.
"It's been a long journey for me," Gorski said. "I know there's a lot of guys who break into the league before 27 years old. There's guys who come in at my age and play for 10, 12 years. Hopefully I'm going to be one of those stories and not the other way around."
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound outfielder, who will start at first base tonight, said he was calling family members for about an hour last night before catching a flight to Los Angeles and getting in around midnight and going to bed at 2 a.m., Pacific time. He'll have plenty of supporters in attendance as he said his dad and stepmom flew in from Naples, Fla. and his wife also flew in last night. His brother-in-law and a friend will also be here as well.
For Gorski, this opportunity has been a long time coming but he made quite an impression this spring as he hit four home runs and tallied 14 RBIs. He carried that strong spring performance over into the start of the season with Indianapolis as he was hitting .300/.325/.529 with a .854 OPS through 18 games. He also tallied seven doubles, three home runs and 14 RBIs.
"Just carrying the confidence over," Gorski said about his success to start the season. "Nothing really mechanical wise I've changed. Nothing crazy I've done from spring training. It's just getting those consistent at-bats and the weather breaking has been big. Not wearing four different layers to try to hit makes it a lot easier. It's been a good month so far. I'll try to continue."
One of the things that has held Gorski back over the years is his strikeout rate. He struck out 124 times last season and 116 times the year before for rates of 32% and 28%, respectively.
Derek Shelton said this afternoon that they made some changes within their hitting group in the offseason that have helped Gorski, and seeing those improvements carry over into the spring made an impression on him.
"We saw improvement of that during spring training and he had a good spring and then he’s carried that over into Indianapolis," Shelton said. "I think the one thing we do know about him is his ability to impact the ball. He can make ballparks look small, he’s got some power, has flexibility to play all three outfield positions, can play first base, really good athlete. He’s one of those fun stories."
Burrows also received the news yesterday and went through a throwing program before catching a flight to Los Angeles. He actually didn't realize that Gorski was promoted until this morning when he saw him in the hotel lobby.
Along with a few others, Burrows was just as happy to see a teammate he's had for a long time.
"I've been playing with Gorski for so long now, and every level, that guy has played so well," Burrows said. "For him to get his opportunity today, it's going to be awesome."
While Gorski will get this experience for the first time, Burrows has been here before. He made his major-league debut on Sept. 28 of last season against the Yankees after returning from Tommy John surgery. He threw 3 1/3 innings, allowed two hits, one earned run and struck out two.
"Just ready to come in and compete, do whatever I can to help the team win," Burrows said. "End of the season was a little different because we knew where we were and we knew what was happening towards that point. But it's a different time now because we're trying to turn the tables and get back on track."
Shelton said that Burrows will work out of the bullpen moving forward and could work in a few different roles. Burrows started four games for Indianapolis this season and produced a 4.30 ERA in 14 2/3 innings of work. He walked seven and struck out 13.
I spoke with Burrows in spring training and he said he'd talked with the Pirates about working in a Luis L. Ortiz type of role and provide length out of the bullpen in a long relief type of role. However, he's ready to do whatever is asked of him.
"I just feel like, for myself, I'm mentally prepared for any situation," Burrows said. "You tell me to throw, I'm just going to throw. I'm going to go out there and compete. Whatever role that is, however many innings you want, I'm just going to go try to get the most I can."
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