Nick

Gonzales

One fire lately, two more knocks here extended Gonzales’ hitting streak to eight games with multiple hits in four of those. His fourth inning double helped catalyze the only real rally the Pirates had in this game and he’s now up to a .315 batting average and .759 OPS on the season as an everyday player for the Pirates.

The homer was his first of the year, a two-run shot off Zebby Matthews that put Pittsburgh up 4-0 in the third. Gonzales has been operating as the team’s primary third baseman, having started 14 of their past 15 games. He’s hit as high as fourth this week, but Ryan O’Hearn’s return dropped him to fifth on Sunday. For fantasy purposes, he’s mostly provided empty batting average given his unique .303/.356/.364 slash line.

Gonzales was back at third base after leaving Thursday’s series finale against the Cubs early with left knee discomfort. It doesn’t appear to be a concern moving forward.

Gonzales made an early exit from Thursday’s series finale due to discomfort stemming from a ball that he fouled off his knee earlier this week that was still bothering him. It doesn’t sound like a significant concern, but he’ll likely undergo imaging to rule out any structural damage. There should be an update on his status ahead of Friday’s series opener against the Twins.

Cruz takes a seat with Toronto lefty Patrick Corbin toeing the rubber. It’ll be intriguing prospect Jhostynxon Garcia getting a chance in center field with Nick Gonzales moving up to the leadoff spot. Cruz is hitting .303 (20-for-66) with four homers against lefties this season. However, he’s been struggling a bit of late, hitting just .242 (15-for-62) with one homer and 26 strikeouts over his last 15 games.

Cruz has made some strides against left-handed pitching this season, but the Pirates are going to give Nick Gonzales a look atop the lineup against Cardinals southpaw Matthew Liberatore on Tuesday night.

It’s the second-straight absence for Gonzales, who appears to be losing out to Jared Triolo of late. He’s hit .315/.380/.364 in 36 games started, including .333/.393/.382 against right-handers, so we’re a little surprised the Pirates have pulled back on him even if he’s no power hitter.

It’s a routine off day for Lowe with southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez toeing the rubber for Arizona in this one. Nick Gonzales takes over at second base with Jared Triolo getting into the lineup at the hot corner. The other notable trickle-down effect here is top prospect Konnor Griffin bumping up to the sixth spot in the order, the highest he’s batted since arriving in the majors last month.

This explains why Lowe was absent from the lineup for the second straight contest despite righty Kumar Rocker taking the ball for the Rangers on Tuesday night at Globe Life Field. The 31-year-old slugging second baseman will likely receive some extra time off this week, but it doesn’t sound like a potential injured list situation based on comments from Pirates skipper Don Kelly. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now. Nick Gonzales is at second base in his place on Tuesday evening.

Lowe plays against some left-handers, but he’ll get a well-deserved day off against Rays’ southpaw Shane McClanahan in this one. At least part of the day, as he’ll likely be used off the bench in a critical spot if necessary. Nick Gonzales will start in his place at second base and bat second for the Bucs. Ryan O’Hearn and Spencer Horwitz will join him on the bench in this one.