The Pittsburgh Pirates entered spring training believing they finally had something they haven’t possessed in years: legitimate infield flexibility backed by upside.
Now, one frightening moment off a bad hop has suddenly complicated those plans.
Jack Brannigan — one of the organization’s most intriguing upper-level prospects and a legitimate contingency option on the left side of the infield — is headed to a specialist after suffering multiple injuries to the nasal complex, including a broken nose, during Sunday’s Grapefruit League contest against the Philadelphia Phillies. According to Kevin Gorman of TribLive, team physicians believe the damage is confined to the nose area, but additional evaluation is being done to rule out orbital fractures.