CHICAGO - Esmerlyn Valdez projects as a bright future for the Pittsburgh Pirates , but he won't play for them for the foreseeable future.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on The Pirates Insider Show on 93.7 The Fan that Valdez's hamstring injury is season-ending, and he won't play again in 2026.
Valdez suffered his injury when running on a ground ball in the top of the sixth inning of the 12-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs in the series opener at Wrigley Field on Sept. 11.
It's a disappointing ending for Valdez, but one that he should bounce back from heading in to 2027.
Valdez pulled up almost immediately after hitting that ground ball and couldn't even reach first base.
The Pirates rookie couldn't put weight on his left leg and needed help from the Pirates' medical staff to get off the field and down into the dugout for more treatment.
Sep 11, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez (55) is helped off the field after an injury during the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Cherington said that he suffered between a Grade 1 and a Grade 2 hamstring tear, with Grade 1 being mild and not much torn muscle, and Grade 2 being more moderate and having some tearing involved.
This could take as little as two to four weeks, which would have him back ready and healthy by the end of the season or later, Sept. 25 to Oct. 9, or six to eight weeks, around Oct. 23 to Nov. 6.
"Yeah, it will. It's like a Grade 1 to 2, somewhere in between a 1 or a 2," Cherington said. "You go from two to four weeks to six to eight weeks, so it's probably somewhere in between that, which is going to end his season."
The Pirates won't have a key bat in their lineup for the final two weeks of 2026, but they still have optimism for Valdez's future.
Valdez hit .232/.345/.510 for an OPS of .855 in 72 games as a rookie, with 56 hits, 14 doubles, a triple, 17 home runs, 47 RBI and 42 walks to 108 strikeouts.
Sep 9, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez (55) hits a solo home run during the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
He was especially exceptional towards the end of June , becoming the first Pirates player since Corey Dickerson in 2018 to hit a home run in four straight games, June 26 to June 29.
Valdez also won National League Rookie of the Month honors for July, batting .250/.355/.587 for an OPS of .942, with 23 hits, five doubles, eight home runs and 25 RBI.
Cherington said that they're focused on Valdez being ready for the start of his offseason workouts and that they want to get him back to full health through October to do that, as they see him as a big part of the 2027 Pirates.
"The important thing now is we need to get him in a really good spot before the normal part of his offseason. So we'll use the rest of this season and October to really make sure that he's in a good spot physically, in terms of recovery, so he can have a good, productive, normal offseason and get ahead of that.
"He's done enough on the field this year to tell us that he can be part, has to chance to be part of a good winning team next year. We got to make sure he's in a physical position to do that."
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/pirates/onsi as Pirates' Esmerlyn Valdez Suffers Season-Ending Injury .
