The Pittsburgh Pirates traded for Luke Weaver from the New York Mets before the MLB deadline in the hopes of bolstering their bullpen.
It also led Weaver down an odd path that he likely couldn’t have seen coming.
Weaver spoke with DK Pittsburgh Sports earlier this week and revealed a physical ailment that has been bothering him from soon after he arrived with the Pirates.
Luke Weaver Has What?
Weaver revealed to reporters that he has had poison ivy.
And not just for a few days — “almost a month.”
The whole quote is worth reading:
“I’ve had my own set of personal challenges over the last month, and I’ve kept them to myself, but at the end of the day, I’ve had almost a month worth of severe poison ivy. To the point where I’ve just been in hives over my entire lower body. I got it in Miami (three weeks ago), so shortly after getting here. Brushed up against a bush and my body went into a really bad state. I’ve been fighting my own personal battle on sleep. I haven’t slept in about a month. I wake up a lot. But that’s my own deal. I’m trying to find ways every single day.”
That’s just an astounding thing, both to admit and also just to have happen to an MLB pitcher in the middle of a season.
You have to commend Weaver for sharing that story, because he could’ve kept it to himself. Whatever was asked of him apparently got him riled up enough to bring those details out.
It could have something to do with Weaver’s relative struggles since joining the Pirates.
Luke Weaver Pirates Stats
Weaver has pitched in 10 games for the Pirates, through Sept. 3. He has a 5.79 ERA in 9.1 innings (six earned runs allowed).
The righty has walked four batters in that span and struck out 11. Of note, he hasn’t allowed a home run yet.
It’s a far cry from the numbers he had with the Mets before getting traded. Weaver pitched in 42 games this season for the Mets and had a 1.84 ERA.
Weaver had been a key bullpen pickup for the Mets after spending the last two-and-a-half seasons with the New York Yankees. And even as the Mets season went down the tubes, Weaver continued to deal very effectively.
So far, he hasn’t quite carried that over to Pittsburgh, which has been unfortunate as the Pirates try to chase down a wild card spot.
At least now there’s an explanation for a lot of the struggle. And it’s an explanation that no Pittsburgh fan likely saw coming.
All Weaver can do now is try to turn the ship around the rest of the way. There’s still time for him to make a positive impact for the Pirates, even if the window of opportunity is dwindling to chase down a playoff spot. And you’ve got to think Weaver is starting to feel at least a little better now — you’d hope that for him, if nothing else.
Pirates’ Luke Weaver Reveals Incredibly Painful Physical Problem