PITTSBURGH — Seth Hernandez is one of the best pitching prospects, but it's likely he won't feature again for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2026.Hernandez suffered a left oblique strain in his most recent outing back for High-A Greensboro and it's a six-to-eight week return timeline, which goes past the end of the minor league season, per Pirates senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk.The Pirates had put Hernandez on the 7-day injured list on July 25, as he threw three innings vs. Winston-Salem (Chicago White Sox) on the road on July 24, posting five strikeouts and allowing just one hit and one walk.That return would put him on track for a full comeback Sept. 9-23, and with the final game for Greensboro on Sept. 6, it almost certainly ends his first campaign.“Unfortunately he sustained an oblique strain," Tomczyk said. "Unfortunately, he felt it on one pitch. Did a battery of tests, had MD exams, some subsequent imaging and it diagnosed an oblique strain. As of right now, we’re projecting six-to-eight weeks prior to any game activity.” Tomcyzk said that they'll take it day-by-day, but that it's most likely the end of Hernandez's season. “I wouldn’t say it’s normal, it’s a bit more on the significant side," Tomczyk said. "It’s not a minor one. Generally, if you want to scale it, and this is research out there, evidence-based research, professional baseball players, from obliques that are in the low-to-moderate take about 32 days to respond to return to competition, but this one is going to take a little bit longer." Make sure to visit Pirates OnSI for the latest news, updates, interviews and insight on the Pittsburgh Pirates!Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow