By KEVIN GORMAN

The Tribune-Review, Greensburg

(TNS) —On his darkest days, Ryan Borucki watched the Pittsburgh Pirates turn to their bullpen in situations where he once thrived. It was a reminder of how fast an injury can change fortunes, not to mention perspective.

The wiry 6-foot-4 left-handed reliever was sidelined for the better part of five months with inflammation in his throwing arm, an injury that proved perplexing and forced him to deal with self-doubt.

“That’s the hardest thing to do,” Borucki said. “I feel like baseball is one of those games where, a lot of times, you’re your own worst enemy.”

Borucki counts his blessings that he was surrounded by a strong support system, even as he entered free agency coming off a disappointing season. He went from one of the Pirates’ most reliable relievers in 2023, when he was 4-0 with a 2.45 ERA and 0.74 WHIP in 40 1/3 innings over 38 appearances, to one who is in big league camp as a non-roster invitee.

“It sucks, but it puts everything in perspective that it can be taken away from you that quick,” Borucki said. “You realize that I could be on my couch watching. I’m very lucky to be able to do what I do.”

Although Borucki said other teams showed interest in signing him to a minor league contract, he decided to return to the Pirates because of his familiarity with friends in the clubhouse and the coaching staff.

“That was one of the main things why I signed back here: It’s tough when you go to a different organization, and it’s your first year; you’re the new kid on the block, but they don’t have any ties to you,” Borucki said. “I knew what they had here. I know all the coaches and all the guys and have built a rapport and a good enough body of work to where when they need to make those decisions, they know what they’ll get out of me. That was one of the main reasons I came here. It’s a good organization, and I feel like there’s a lot of unfinished business with this team, so I want to be a part of it.”

So far, it’s been a sound decision. Borucki is 2-0 with a save and a hold and hasn’t allowed an earned run in six innings over six Grapefruit League appearances this spring. He replaced Braxton Ashcraft in the eighth inning Monday night against the Baltimore Orioles and threw six of his 10 pitches for strikes. Borucki gave up a single to Samuel Basallo on a first-pitch slider, then threw a wild pitch before getting Douglas Hodo III looking at a called third strike on a full-count slider, Dylan Carlson to line out to third and Livan Soto to fly out to center.

Borucki knows better than to bank on a big spring. In 2023, he went to camp with the Chicago Cubs on a minor league deal, had his contract selected in late April and was designated for assignment three days later. He signed with the Pirates and had a strong season. Last year, Borucki had 11 strikeouts against one walk, only to deal with a nagging injury and post an 8.22 ERA in 10 appearances upon returning in September.

“Being able to pitch again and prove to myself and other teams that I was healthy was good for me going into the offseason with a plan for durability,” Borucki said.

“I had a really good plan this offseason, trying not to have another year like last year.”

Borucki didn’t take much downtime, only a week off from throwing before building his arm back up as strong as possible. He invested in his health, working with a nutritionist and focused on his eating and sleeping habits while doing anti-inflammatory work for injury prevention.

“By the end, I was throwing 40-pitch bullpens to come in a little more ready for spring that I did years prior,” Borucki said. “I feel great.”

Borucki believes his elbow and triceps issue stemmed from overpronating, so he worked to slow down his delivery and tweak his changeup to where it more resembles a splitter now. And he told Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin to use him as often in games as needed.

“Bullpens are great, ‘lives’ (batting practice) are great, but nothing replicates the game,” Borucki said. “When I’m working on things, I’d rather not skip an outing to do a live. I’d rather just go in and whatever happens, happens. Some of the worst years, I had the best spring, and some of my best springs, I had the worst seasons. It’s all about getting the quality work in.”

The best part of Borucki’s offseason happened Dec. 2 when he and his wife, Leah, became parents to a daughter, Aubri.

“I’m lucky I have a very good support system — my wife, family — they’ve always been behind me,” Borucki said.

“Even when I’m down, they’re able to pick me back up. It’s good to have those people around me, as you definitely have some dark days in this game.

“It really puts life into perspective, that this is really just a game. There’s so much more to life than baseball. The coolest thing is to watch the transformation in my wife. That’s probably my proudest thing, to see how she kills it every day. It’s an unbelievable thing. Being a dad is one of the best things that’s ever happened in my life.”