Pirates lose backup catcher Luke Maile for the season after surgery on right index finger
The Pittsburgh Pirates lost catcher Luke Maile for the season when he underwent surgery Friday for a fractured right index finger, a day after being hit by a pitch in an intrasquad game.
Maile’s surgery was performed by Dr. Edward Birdsong at Allegheny Health Network in Wexford. Maile is expected to be out for 10-12 weeks, the Pirates said in a news release.
The Pirates signed the 29-year-old Maile to a free-agent deal to be their backup to catcher Jacob Stallings. A defensive specialist, Maile slashed .198/.252/.304 with 10 home runs and 60 RBIs in five years with the Toronto Blue Jays, where Pirates general manager Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton both previously worked.
Maile’s injury leaves the Pirates with two catchers in training camp, Stallings and John Ryan Murphy, although Andrew Susac was one of four players added to the roster for their exhibition game against Cleveland on Saturday night at PNC Park.
Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter covering the Pirates. A Baldwin native and Penn State graduate, he joined the Trib in 1999 and has covered high school sports, Pitt football and basketball and was a sports columnist for 10 years. He can be reached at kgorman@triblive.com.
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