Former Seattle Mariners' Ace Set to Be Sidelined For Good Portion with 2024 with Another Elbow Injury

In another frustrating setback, Pittsburgh Pirates' pitcher Marco Gonzales is set to miss a good portion of the 2024 season with another elbow problem.

MLB.com had the update from Pirates' GM Ben Cherington:

General manager Ben Cherington said on his 93.7 The Fan radio show on May 5 that he is optimistic Gonzales will pitch again this season. The team had him and Ryan Borucki get second opinions in California during the week of April 29, and after ordering additional tests on Gonzales, it was determined that a "conservative treatment with both guys, at this point, is the right path."

While there's no official timetable given, it's fair to assume that given his already lengthy shutdown, plus "conservative" treatment, plus re-build up process, it's going to be multiple more months before Gonzales is back pitching in Pittsburgh.

It's frustrating for Gonzales, who had pitched to a 2.65 ERA over his first three starts with Pittsburgh. Furthermore, Gonzales has been injured quite a bit over the last year. He made just 10 starts for the Mariners in 2023 after being durable during his entire Mariners' tenure previously. He dealt with forearm and elbow issues also last year.

Gonzales served as the ace of the M's staff from 2019-2021, going 61-47 in total over his seven years there (2017-2023). He helped them get back to the playoffs during the 2022 season and served as a leader during the team's teardown after the 2018 season.

He was traded to the Atlanta Bravfes this offseason and then spun off in another deal to the Pirates.

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