Pirates infielder Nick Gonzales missed a large chunk of the 2021 season with a broken pinky suffered during a collision at first base. So he was a bit alarmed when he was struck on the hand last Friday and forced to come out of an Arizona Fall League game as a result.

“That definitely goes through your head, but you just kind of stay positive,” said Gonzales, the No. 62 prospect on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list.

Getting back into the lineup on Tuesday certainly helped put his mind at ease. And the 22-year-old did what he always does when he’s healthy and in the lineup: he hit. Gonzales went 3-for-4 with a big RBI, a walk and a stolen base to help Peoria beat Mesa, 6-5, at home.

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“I was glad to be back out there and, fortunately, nothing serious happened to my hand,” Gonzales said. “It’s kind of scary to get hit in the hand -- there’s little bones in there and everything. So I just took a few days to make sure it was getting better, and the swelling went down. It’s still sore a little bit, but it’s something that’s getting better every day. So there’s nothing to be worried about.”

The 22-year-old proved that early, doubling to right field in the first inning against Mesa starter Jeff Criswell (A’s), though it didn’t lead to any runs.

Mesa struck first by way of the long ball -- not surprising since the Solar Sox now lead the AFL in home runs with 30 in 23 games. Outfielder Kameron Misner (MIA 22) hit a pair of solo shots, which would have given him a share of the league lead with seven if teammate Nelson Velazquez (CHC 29) hadn't hit his eighth.

Peoria trailed, 2-0, after the second-inning jacks by Velazquez and Misner, but took the lead on its own long ball. Chandler Seagle (Padres) hit a three-run shot, his first homer of the fall, in the fifth. A double by top Blue Jays prospect Gabriel Moreno tied the score, 3-3, in the sixth, and Peoria regained the lead again in the bottom of the frame before Misner’s second homer knotted the game again.

Gonzales’ third hit, a single to left in the seventh off of Marlins lefty Jefry Yan, gave the Javelinas the lead for good. It brought his AFL batting average up to .381 with a robust 1.089 OPS. He stands third in average, second in on-base percentage (.487) and fifth in OPS after helping Peoria improve to 12-10, a game-and-a-half behind Glendale and Surprise in the West Division.

“Yan throws real hard, and he kind of hides the ball pretty well too, so I knew I just had to find a good pitch to hit,” Gonzales said. “I got to 3-0, took a big swing, swung and missed. And then I took a big swing, 3-1, swung and missed. And then with two strikes, I'm like, ‘OK, I need to not try to swing as hard as I can here and just hit the ball hard.' I was just trying to find a good pitch to hit. I needed to tone it down a little bit after swing-and-missing the first two, but tone it down and then put a good swing on it.”

Gonzales has put good swings together more often than not. Once he shook off the rust after the pinky injury, he was one of the best hitters in the Minors, finishing the year with a .950 OPS in High-A ball. That’s continued in the AFL, and he has a six-game hit streak going with a .471/.487/.571 line in 17 at-bats in November.

“We have, like, eight or nine more games left. You just want to finish strong, and you don't want a little injury to not allow you to finish your whole season and get the at-bats that you need and that you missed during the season for sure,” Gonzales said.