Velasquez allowed one earned run on three hits and three walks while striking out seven across five innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles.
Velasquez has had an inconsistent exhibition season, and he ended Grapefruit League action with a 5.79 ERA and 1.50 WHIP. While the majority of those runs came in one outing, he also walked a troubling nine batters across 14 innings of work. Velasquez will start the season in the Pirates' rotation, but he's worked primarily out of the bullpen for the last few seasons and will likely return to that role at some point in 2023.