Pirates' Erik Gonzalez fractures foot in winter ball
Misfortune has followed the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Erik Gonzalez to the Dominican Republic.
The utility infielder fractured his left foot this past weekend while playing winter ball. It is his second bone break in the past seven months after he fractured his clavicle April 19 in a collision with Pirates center fielder Starling Marte in a game at PNC Park against the San Francisco Giants.
A surgical procedure was performed Wednesday by Dr. James Sferra at Allegheny General Hospital to fixate and stabilize the fracture. Gonzalez is projected to resume full baseball activities in 10-12 weeks, the Pirates announced.
The first injury cost Gonzalez 3½ months of the 2019 season. He rejoined the team Aug. 3. He was limited to 53 games and 142 at-bats while hitting .254 with one home run and six RBIs.
With Santo Domingo of the Dominican Winter League, he was hitting .250 in 11 games.
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Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
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