Valdez (hand) avoids fracture, is day-to-day

Valdez managed to avoid serious injury, with initial X-rays came back negative for any fractures, after being hit in the left wrist by a pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning on Monday night. He’s back in right field and hitting cleanup following the injury scare. The 22-year-old rookie slugger has been an unexpected revelation for Pittsburgh, and fantasy managers as well, hitting .290/.386/.702 with 14 homers and 36 RBI across 145 plate appearances in 38 games this season. He’s overdue for some regression in the batting average department based on his plate skills, but the over-the-fence power is very real and it’s fantastic.

It’s surprising that the Pirates didn’t offer a postgame update after Valdez was hit by a pitch during the early stages of Monday’s series opener against the Diamondbacks. The power-hitting 22-year-old appeared to get hit in the left hand/wrist area and presumably underwent X-rays to determine whether he suffered any fractures. It’s possible there was too much swelling to be able to tell anything on initial imaging. There should be some much-needed clarity on his status leading into Tuesday’s contest.

Valdez was struck by a pitch on the left hand during the fourth inning of Monday’s series opener in Pittsburgh. The 22-year-old rookie sensation, who has hit 14 homers in 38 games this season, will head for X-ray to determine whether he suffered any fractures. There should be an update on his status following the contest.

Valdez’s homer was his 14th this season, tying him for the third-most through 37 big league games, according to Sarah Langs of MLB. It has been an incredible run, but his strikeout rate remains at 38 percent, which will be difficult to overcome over a longer sample. It helps that he’s part of a lineup that ranks second in the majors in runs per game. Valdez is a must-start fantasy option until his power heater fully cools off.

Valdez put Pittsburgh ahead with an opposite-field 431-foot tater into the right-field seats against Yankees starter Ryan Weathers. The 22-year-old rookie sensation is up to 13 homers in 32 games at the highest level. The massive over-the-fence pop is very real. However, there are several underlying indicators, most notably his literal .400 BABIP along with a staggering 37.7 percent strikeout rate, that suggest he’s overdue for some regression.

Valdez’s home run was his 12th in the first 105 at-bats of his MLB career. He hit a two-run shot off Will Dion in the ninth inning. Valdez will come back to earth eventually, but he’s made it abundantly clear that his power is legitimate by posting a .733 slugging percentage in his first 31 career games.

The magic continues. Valdez picked up right where he left off prior to the All-Star break, lifting a towering fly ball off Guardians starter Gavin Williams that just kept on carrying into the right-field seats to give Pittsburgh a 4-1 advantage in the sixth inning. The 22-year-old slugging prospect has gone deep a staggering 11 times in just 29 games to open his big-league career. He’s going to cool off at some point in the near future since he’s striking out nearly 40 percent of the time and running a BABIP in the .400 range, but he’s clearly going to keep hitting for power, which should keep him fantasy-relevant until further notice.

Valdez did it again, homering in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader. This time, he put the Pirates on the board with a two-run blast off Shane Drohan in the fourth inning. It was his third home run of the day after mashing two in the first game and his 10th of the season in just 100 plate appearances while slashing .311/.370/.722.

Valdez took Milwaukee starter Brandon Sproat deep with a 421-foot blast to center field in the early stages of the contest before propelling Pittsburgh ahead with a seventh-inning grand slam off Brewers relief ace Aaron Ashby. The power-hitting 22-year-old rookie also added a run-scoring single just for good measure. It was his first career multi-homer performance and gives him nine round-trippers through just 26 games this season. He’ll continue to strike out more than fantasy managers would prefer, creating some batting average risk once his near-.400 BABIP inevitably regresses, but the power is real enough to justify the gamble.

Cherington mentioned that both players “are progressing well in Florida, but both will be sidelined until after the All-Star Break.” The team hopes that they will both be back in the lineup “not too long after the break.” Cruz has been out since June 10 with non-displaced fractures in his hand. He was originally expected to miss “at least one month,” which will be in the middle of this week. He could likely begin a rehab assignment in the next couple of weeks and, assuming he can swing without pain, be back in the Pirates lineup soon after. With both Horwitz and Cruz back, the Pirates may have to be creative to find at-bats for surging Esmerlyn Valdez and Tyler Callihan.