PITTSBURGH (AP) Chris Archer won’t pitch for the Pittsburgh Pirates
in 2020, and his time with the club may be over.
The 31-year-old right-hander had surgery Tuesday in St. Louis with
Dr. Robert Thompson to relieve symptoms of thoracic outlet
syndrome. Archer will not be available this season if Major League
Baseball finds a way to put together a truncated schedule.
Pirates director of Sports Medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday
that Archer reported discomfort in the neck/shoulder area on his
right side in March shortly before spring training was stopped due
to the COVID-19 pandemic. Archer remained on a throwing program
when he went home but symptoms continued to linger.
”What made it most challenging for Chris, he didn’t feel the
symptoms immediately after throwing,” Tomczyk said. ”It was hours
afterward. It was the next day.”
Tomczyk estimated Archer will need six-to-eight months of
rehabilitation. Archer’s absence this season is another blow to a
starting rotation already missing ace Jameson Taillon, who will
miss all of 2020 while recovering from a second Tommy John surgery
on his right elbow.
The Pirates were banking on a bounce back year by Archer, who is
6-12 with a 4.92 ERA in 33 starts since he was acquired from Tampa
Bay at the 2018 trade deadline for outfielder Austin Meadows and
pitcher Tyler Glasnow. Archer has struggled to find any consistency
with the Pirates, while Meadows became an All-Star last season and
Glasnow also blossomed.
Archer’s contract includes a $9 million salary this year, an option
that was exercised in November after longtime general manager Neal
Huntington was fired and before Ben Cherington was brought on to
replace him. Archer will receive only a portion due to the
coronavirus pandemic.
Pittsburgh holds an $11 million club option for 2021, with a
$250,000 buyout.
Given the timeline for rehab, Archer will not be fully healthy when
the Pirates have to decide on the next option.
”There will be other information at the time that we don’t have
now,” Cherington said.
Pittsburgh’s starting rotation projects to include Trevor Williams,
Joe Musgrove and Mitch Kellar. Cherington mentioned free-agent
signee Derek Holland as a potential replacement for Archer and
expects any other additions to come from within the club ranks.
”I would imagine any team in baseball is looking to horde pitching
and not give it away,” Cherington said. ”Our focus is going to be
on the guys that are here in the organization now.”
The Pirates made an aggressive move in 2018 when it brought in
Archer, giving up a top prospect in Meadows in hopes Archer could
give the starting rotation a boost in an effort to make the
playoffs. Archer went 3-3 with a 4.30 ERA in 10 starts down the
stretch, though Pittsburgh ultimately fell out of contention.
Archer’s 5.19 ERA last year marked a career high. The team shut him
down late in the season due to right shoulder discomfort. The ever
optimistic Archer was ready for a fresh start when spring training
opened, but that optimism faded as the pain lingered.
”It’s tough news for us, it’s even tougher news for him that he’s
not going to be able to go out and pitch,” Cherington said.
—
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and
https://twitter.com/AP-Sports
###
Copyright © 2020
TTWN Media Networks Inc.
Comments