PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates' injury luck has taken another turn. This time, an itchy one.
Right-handed reliever Luke Weaver is dealing with severe poison ivy in his lower body, he told José Negron of DK Pittsburgh Sports on Wednesday. Weaver was the top relief pitcher on the market, and Pittsburgh acquired him for prospect Sammy Stafura just a few hours before the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline.
Weaver, who tallied a 1.84 ERA in 44 innings for the Mets before the trade, entered Friday’s series opener against the Angels with a 5.79 ERA in 9 1/3 innings since joining the Pirates. Weaver said he contracted poison ivy in Miami during Pittsburgh’s trip there from Aug. 11-13. It’s caused him some trouble sleeping, too, and he admitted it’s likely affected his recent performances.
“It's been tough,” manager Don Kelly said. “He got a really bad case of it. Just navigating that in a way, trying to help him. I know our medical staff has tried to help him as much as possible to get rid of it. It's been tough to kick. It was a really tough case. He's doing a lot better now. It's been going on for a little while.”