PITTSBURGH -- Pirates top prospect and MLB Pipeline’s top right-handed pitcher Seth Hernandez is likely out for the season with a left oblique strain. Hernandez suffered the injury during his start on July 24, and is expected to be out six to eight weeks, which would line up with the end of the 2026 Minor Leagues schedule.
“Six to eight weeks with a Minor League season, he's basically done,” Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday. “We'll take it day by day. Don't want to come out and say his season's over right now. But if you're looking at the Minor League calendar, that would be a challenge to get him back into Minor League games.”
Hernandez suffered the injury while slipping off the mound during his start. Pittsburgh’s 2025 first-round Draft pick had soared through the Minors in 2026, thriving in High-A Greensboro with a 3.33 ERA in 46 innings. In 28 innings in Single-A Bradenton, Hernandez tallied a 0.96 ERA, notching a 14.4 K/9 ratio and 118 strikeouts across both levels.
Hernandez was the first pitcher in MiLB this season to record 100 strikeouts, and he told MLB.com a few weeks back that his goal was to reach the Major Leagues before his 21st birthday on June 28, 2027.
In the Futures Game, MLB Pipeline’s No. 6 prospect starred with a shutout inning, showcasing his 100-plus mph fastball on a national stage. Now, Hernandez will be forced to take a step back.