PITTSBURGH — Luke Weaver’s first month with the Pittsburgh Pirates has looked nothing like the stretch that made him one of baseball’s most reliable relievers earlier this season. The former Yankees fan favorite arrived as a deadline reinforcement, stayed on the active roster and kept taking the ball, yet his results changed almost immediately after one road trip.
Weaver had been thriving before the Aug. 3 trade that sent him from the New York Mets to Pittsburgh. He posted a 1.84 ERA in 42 appearances and 44 innings for the Mets, with 45 strikeouts against 11 walks. The Pirates acquired him and cash for shortstop prospect Sammy Stafura, expecting another proven late-inning arm.
Instead, the 33-year-old right-hander has a 5.79 ERA in 10 appearances for Pittsburgh. He has allowed six earned runs, 10 hits and four walks in 9 1/3 innings. The surface numbers made the transition look like a deadline pickup losing his form after changing clubs.
That reading never told the full story. Weaver had been dealing with a physical problem away from the mound while adjusting to another trade, another clubhouse and another bullpen role. He did not go on the injured list. He continued to pitch, even as the problem repeatedly interfered with his sleep.
For Yankees fans, the development carries an added layer. Weaver became one of the most recognizable personalities on the 2024 Yankees, turning a waiver-wire detour into a closing role at Yankee Stadium and a major part of a World Series run. That Yankees chapter is why his sudden Pittsburgh downturn stood out so sharply.
Weaver finally explained the missing piece this week, nearly a month after it began. The trigger was a routine moment during Pittsburgh’s August trip to Miami that turned into a persistent health battle through much of his first month with the Pirates.
A brush with a bush changes Weaver’s month
Weaver said the issue began during the Pirates’ Aug. 11-13 series in Miami. He brushed against a bush and soon developed a severe case of poison ivy that spread across much of his lower body.
He said he had tried to manage it quietly while continuing to pitch.
“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,” Weaver said.
The rash also wrecked his rest. Weaver said the hives repeatedly woke him at night for weeks.
“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 with 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,” Weaver said.
He also dealt with a sinus cold in recent days, but the Pirates never placed him on the injured list because of the rash.
The numbers turn sharply after Miami
MLB’s official game logs put a clear timeline around Weaver’s disclosure. His first Pirates appearance came Aug. 7 against the Mets, before Pittsburgh went to Miami, and he worked one scoreless inning.
After the Miami trip, Weaver made nine appearances through Sept. 3 and allowed six earned runs in 8 1/3 innings, a 6.48 ERA. All six earned runs he has allowed as a Pirate came after the Miami series.
The damage was concentrated. Weaver was scoreless in six of those nine outings. Five of the six earned runs came in two appearances, three against Boston on Aug. 15 and two against San Francisco on Sept. 1. He allowed the other run at San Diego on Aug. 24.
His full-season line remains strong because of his Mets work. Through Sept. 3, Weaver owns a 2.53 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 56 strikeouts in 53 1/3 innings across 52 appearances. The timing does not prove the rash caused any specific result, but it overlaps directly with his uneven Pirates stretch.
Why Yankees fans still connect with Weaver
Weaver’s standing with Yankees fans was built during a rapid reinvention. The Yankees claimed him off waivers in September 2023 and brought him back for 2024. He moved into relief full time and became one of the Yankees’ most valuable bullpen arms. The Yankees bullpen leaned heavily on him as the season tightened.
In 2024, Weaver went 7-3 with a 2.89 ERA, four saves and 103 strikeouts in 84 innings over 62 appearances. By September, the Yankees had shifted him into the closer role. His “Dream Weaver” entrance became part of the late-season atmosphere at Yankee Stadium.
The run continued in October. For the Yankees, Weaver posted a 1.76 ERA with four saves and 16 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings across 12 postseason appearances as the Yankees reached the World Series. He did not allow a run in five World Series innings.
Weaver returned to the Yankees in 2025 and recorded a 3.62 ERA with eight saves in 64 appearances. He then signed a two-year, $22 million deal with the Mets before being traded to Pittsburgh on Aug. 3.
Pirates say Weaver is improving
Pirates manager Don Kelly said the club’s medical staff has been working with Weaver and that his condition had improved by this week.
“It’s been tough. He got a really bad case of it. Just navigating that in a way, trying to help him. I know our medical staff has tried to help him as much as possible to get rid of it. It’s been tough to kick. It was a really tough case. He’s doing a lot better now. It’s been going on for a little while,” Kelly said.
Weaver was available Friday against the Los Angeles Angels but did not pitch in Pittsburgh’s 1-0 victory at PNC Park. Jared Jones earned the win, Ryan Johnson took the loss and Mason Montgomery recorded his ninth save as the Pirates improved to 70-72.
As of Saturday, the former Yankees closer remained on Pittsburgh’s active roster. His most recent appearance was a scoreless inning against San Francisco on Sept. 3, when he allowed no hits or walks and struck out one. The latest update is that the month-long ordeal is easing, even as Weaver continues pitching through one of the strangest stretches of his 11-year MLB career.
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