Pirates second baseman lands on IL after hurting ankle during Opening Day home run trot

We have an early contender for the Weirdest Baseball Injury of the Year

One day into the 2025 season, we have a contender for Weirdest Baseball Injury of the Year. Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Nick Gonzales will be placed on the 10-day injured list with a non-displaced fracture in his left ankle, manager Derek Shelton announced Friday (per the Pittsburgh Tribune Review). The injury occurred Thursday on a home run trot. Yes, on a home run trout.

Here is Gonzales' Opening Day homer against the Miami Marlins. He pulls up lame around first base and managed to fracture his ankle. Gonzales will see a specialist in Pittsburgh. The team has not announced a timetable for his return.

As always, there were a number of weird injuries in spring training. Philadelphia Phillies reliever Matt Strahm irritated the middle finger on his pitching hand while packing. St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker tweaked his knee when he stepped on a sprinkler head. Now Gonzales broke his ankle on a home run trot on Opening Day.

Gonzalez, 26 in May, was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2020 draft. He made his MLB debut in 2023 and hit .270/.311/.398 with seven home runs in 94 games last season. The Pirates were counting on Gonzales to emerge as a legitimate building block alongside Oneil Cruz, Paul Skenes, and Bryan Reynolds this year. That will have to be put on pause.

The Pirates called up infielder Enmanuel Valdez to replace Gonzales on the roster. Nick Yorke, one of Pittsburgh's top prospects, will remain in Triple-A despite hitting .333/.420/.498 at the level in 2024.

Gonzalez and the Pirates got walked off by Kyle Stowers and the Marlins on Opening Day.