Former Blue Jays pitcher on IL with lat strain

The loss of Mayza, who signed with the club back in February, is significant for Pittsburgh as the lefty has been a key reliever out of the pen early on. In seven appearances, Mayza has a 2.89 ERA, 1.071 WHIP, and 3.35 FIP.

Although he had a disastrous first half of 2024, Mayza has been a fairly consistent presence since 2017. Outside of last season, in which his ERA ballooned to 8.03, Mayza appeared in parts of seven seasons with the Blue Jays, compiling a 20-9 record, with a 3.57 ERA with four saves and 292 strikeouts in 283.2 innings across 352 games.

He finished 2024 with the New York Yankees.

Although they are losing Mayza, the Pirates are seeing the return of Bednar, who served as the team's closer from 2022-2024, with All-Star selections in both 2022 and 2023.

However, he regressed last year, struggling to a 5.77 ERA and his walk rate ballooned to 10.7% and he was ultimately removed from the closer's role in August.

While he won't immediately return to his old role, he was fairly dominant in his stint in the minor leagues. He was optioned April 1st, after a rough start to the year.

There is no timeline for Mayza's return.

In his absence, the Pirates will turn to fellow lefties Ryan Borucki - another former Blue Jay and Mayza's longtime teammate in Toronto - and Caleb Ferguson.