Paul Skenes not atop Pirates' shortlist of candidates to plug hole in starting rotation

Pittsburgh Pirates starter Marco Gonzales was direct during spring training when discussing the club’s top overall prospect, fellow pitcher Paul Skenes, complimenting his abilities and predicting Skenes “probably (is) going to take one of our jobs eventually.”

With Sunday bringing news of Gonzales heading to the injured list with a left forearm muscle strain, coupled with Skenes’ domination at Triple-A Indianapolis through three starts, the stage certainly could be viewed as being set for Gonzales’ forecast to come true.

Skenes has yet to be scored on through 9 1/3 innings of work with the Indians, over which he’s struck out 19, walked two and limited batters to a .129 average while showing off his triple-digit fastball speed and effective complementary pitches.

But for fans expecting Skenes’ debut in Pittsburgh to be immediately forthcoming, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington seemed to hit the brakes during his weekly radio show on 93.7 FM.

“With Paul, we’ve been very intentional about how we’re building his volume coming into the season with a goal of really accomplishing two things. One is to try to get him to an appropriate total volume for 2024 coming off last year when he pitched a full college season and then just a little bit of pro ball.

“We don’t want to go from zero to 100 right away. Paul’s so important to us long-term, so we want to be really thoughtful about that.”

Cherington and manager Derek Shelton mentioned taking the next several days to evaluate options to fill Gonzales’ spot in the rotation.

With a three-game series in New York vs. the Mets up next followed by an off day Thursday, there is time to decide.

Two whom Cherington mentioned are already with the Pirates in lefty Josh Fleming and righty Luis Ortiz.

Both have been solid thus far in bullpen roles, with Fleming posting a 2.45 ERA through six appearances and Ortiz, through five games, recording an ERA of 2.35.

“Not suggesting that they would slot right into a traditional starter’s role, but there are ways that we might be able to use them,” Cherington said. “So that’s one avenue.”

Looking at further options in Indianapolis, 23-year-old righty Quinn Priester likely will receive consideration.

He struggled last year after making his MLB debut, going 3-3 with a 7.74 ERA in 10 appearances, eight of which were starts, and did not earn an Opening Day spot with the Pirates coming out of spring training.

But Priester, selected 18th overall by the Pirates in 2019, has been steadier so far in Indianapolis, going 1-1 with a 3.95 ERA through three starts, with 20 strikeouts and five walks in 13 2/3 innings.

On top of his MLB experience, Priester’s workload with the Indians — having thrown 76, 83 and 81 pitches in his three starts — places him higher on the list of candidates Cherington would consider.

By comparison, Skenes has thrown 46, 44 and, most recently, 55 pitches in his three starts.

“I think the key there is looking at guys who have been stretched out and who have built up volume enough so that they’re sort of in a normal starter’s schedule at this point,” Cherington said. “I think we’ll be looking at guys who have gotten into that 85-90 pitch-count threshold first.”

Cherington credited Skenes with performing well and “checking all the boxes — every time a box is in front of him, he checks it.”

The way Cherington put it, there likely will be no shortage of opportunities this year for Skenes to make his highly anticipated debut with the Pirates.

But the club plans to look at other solutions first.

“(This) probably won’t be the last time we need a starter this year, so we’re going to look for the best solution short-term and get other guys ready for the longer haul over 2024,” Cherington said.

Regarding Gonzales, the left forearm muscle strain is similar in description to an injury that ultimately ended his 2023 campaign with the Seattle Mariners after 10 starts and required surgery.

Gonzales, who started Saturday in Philadelphia, pitching six innings and taking a no-decision in the 4-3 Pirates loss, reported symptoms to the club after exiting the game.

Through three starts, he has a 2.65 ERA with 11 strikeouts and five walks in 17 innings pitched.

“Out of precaution, we want to make sure that we get as much information as we can, so we’ll get him back to Pittsburgh (and) get some tests done,” Cherington said. “… I think we just need to learn more.”