Pittsburgh Pirates' Johan Oviedo Facing Elbow Injury, Tommy John Surgery on the Table

Oviedo got his start with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2020, holding a spot in the team's rotation before he got flipped to the Pirates in exchange for All-Star starting pitcher José Quintana at the 2022 MLB Trade Deadline.

The Cuban hurler closed out the 2022 season with a 3.23 ERA in seven starts in Pittsburgh, and he was the Pirates' No. 2 starter to open the 2023 campaign.

Oviedo went 9-14 with a 4.31 ERA, 1.373 WHIP and 8.0 strikeouts per nine innings across 32 appearances this year, including 14 quality starts and a compete game shutout. He ranked seventh on the team and third among Pirates pitchers with a 2.1 WAR.

For his career, Oviedo is 13-25 with a 4.32 ERA, 1.397 WHIP and 7.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

Losing Oviedo would deal a significant blow to the top end of the Pirates' rotation in 2024. Beyond that, Pittsburgh's front office has yet to extend 27-year-old ace Mitch Keller, who has just two years of team control remaining.

Rich Hill, who is currently a free agent and will turn 44 years old before next season, was the only other pitcher who logged more than 75.0 innings as a starter for the Pirates in 2023. A pair of 24-year-olds, Luis Ortiz and Roansy Contreras, rounded out the bottom of the rotation with a combined 5.44 ERA.

JT Brubaker missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in April, while Vince Velasquez got knocked out for the year in June thanks to a UCL procedure of his own.