PITTSBURGH -- Bryan Reynolds is throwing again, a positive sign toward getting the All-Star outfielder back in the field and restabilizing the Pirates¡¯ lineup and defensive alignment.
Reynolds has played in all but one of the Pirates¡¯ 13 games, but he hasn¡¯t played the field since March 30 against the Marlins. He¡¯s been dealing with a right shoulder injury that has limited him to hitting. Reynolds went 0-for-3 and walked three times in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Cardinals in 13 innings.
Reynolds played catch out to 70 feet Wednesday with no issues, and he has continued to be symptom-free when hitting from both sides of the plate. Senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that the team will continue to monitor how Reynolds responds to throwing, and the hope is he will be a full complementary player sooner rather than later.
That would be a boost for the Pirates¡¯ lineup. The original plan coming into the season was for Reynolds to be the everyday right fielder and for Andrew McCutchen to be the team¡¯s primary designated hitter. With Reynolds unable to field, he has been the DH for most of this season, while McCutchen has started to take more reps in the field. McCutchen is 38 years old (and is the oldest Pirate to get starts in the outfield since Bill Robinson in 1982). While he can fill in on a part-time basis, he won¡¯t be used as an everyday outfielder anymore.
That has meant that the Pirates haven¡¯t consistently had Reynolds and McCutchen, two of their best hitters, in the same lineup. That could change soon if Reynolds continues to progress in his throwing program without issue.
More injury notes
? Jared Jones (right UCL sprain) was examined by Dr. Darren Frank at about the three-week mark of his injury and presented a pain-free clinical exam.
¡°It¡¯s a very important landmark for him and his rehab progression,¡± Tomczyk said.
Jones has now started a two-handed plyo ball program and was symptom-free. The plan for Jones is to repeat the CT scan in another three weeks at the six-week mark.
The question remains how long it will take for Jones to return. The general rule of thumb is one week down needs two weeks of rehab to return, but Tomczyk doesn¡¯t want to apply that to Jones quite yet.
¡°Our job is to see if we can minimize that time, reduce that time, safely,¡± Tomczyk said. ¡°The goal of any rehab is to get back expeditiously as a sustainable return. We don¡¯t want this to come back. ¡ I don¡¯t want to say that is our projection, but there are a number of steps before we get there.¡±
? Johan Oviedo (right lat injury, Tommy John surgery) will be re-examined by Dr. Frank on Friday to have imaging and an exam. Assuming the results of that scan are what the Pirates anticipate, Oviedo will begin throwing Saturday.
? Colin Holderman (right knee) has resumed throwing and played catch out to 120 feet Wednesday with zero or minimal symptoms. The hope is that he will start throwing off a mound this weekend.
? Spencer Horwitz (right wrist) is nine weeks into his rehab and is hitting and taking ground balls with no restrictions. He will travel with the team to Cincinnati this weekend to continue that progression.
¡°He is trending in a really good position to have conversations with the performance team, [manager Derek Shelton] and [general manager] Ben [Cherington] about how and when we can consider rehab games, hopefully later this month or early next,¡± Tomczyk said.
? Jared Triolo (lumbar spine strain) is not yet back to baseball activities after he was placed on the injured list Monday, but the hope is to have him return to those activities starting this weekend.
? Nick Gonzales (non-displaced fracture of the left ankle) is bearing partial weight on that ankle, an important step back in his rehab. He will undergo imaging again in 10 days.
¡°If we get the healing that we¡¯d like to see, then it¡¯s off to the races for Gonzo,¡± Tomczyk said.
? Prospect Nick Yorke is currently on the seven-day injured list at Triple-A Indianapolis after battling persistent symptoms in his right shoulder throughout Spring Training. The team¡¯s medical group didn¡¯t want the injury to be a ¡°long-term thing,¡± so they stopped him from hitting and throwing for a couple days. He resumed throwing Wednesday, and will return to Indianapolis¡¯ lineup soon.