Pirates All 40: Joshua Palacios Still Upbeat After Injury-Riddled Year

This is one in a series of stories breaking down members of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 40-man roster.

Before the last game of the regular season, I chatted with Joshua Palacios outside of his locker for a few minutes. One of the things he said to me was that the season felt long for him this year, and it’s understandable why.

Palacios’ 2024 season could be defined by injuries. The 29-year-old was limited in spring training due to a calf injury and was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis to start the year. In April, Palacios landed on the injured list, and after starting a rehab assignment for a brief period, was once again shut down until early June.

Unable to find his rhythm early on because of inconsistent playing time due to his injuries, Palacios finally started to heat up as he got his legs back under him in the following weeks.

His performance resulted in his first call up back to the Pirates on the 4th of July. But later in the month, Palacios once again ended up on the injured list with a hamstring issue. Once he was activated in August, Palacios was optioned back to Indianapolis and didn’t return again until the final week of the season.

After playing in a career-high 91 games during his first season with the Pirates last year, Palacios appeared in just 23 with Pittsburgh this season. In total, he finished the 2024 campaign with a .224/.333/.343 slash, a pair of doubles, two home runs and nine RBIs.

One thing that never seemed to waver despite a challenging season was his infectious personality. Palacios’ energy can be felt by all and he’s one of the more beloved players in the Pirates’ clubhouse.

Looking at the 40-man roster, the Pirates are thin in the outfield. Oneil Cruz will man center after a position change during the season. Bryan Reynolds was named an All-Star for the second time. Outside of those two, there are a lot of question marks in terms of who will make up the outfield in 2025.

As things stand prior to any external additions and other moves, Palacios could find himself in competition to land a spot on the Pirates’ bench as a fourth outfielder out of spring training.

But Palacios is out of minor-league options, which could put his 40-man roster spot in jeopardy if space is eventually needed.

Working in his favor, though, is a good track record in Triple-A, a decent showing in the big leagues, and of course a big personality that provides a boost to the Pirates’ clubhouse. Maybe that will be enough to keep him around.