The Pirates got a welcome dose of good news Sunday on two injured hitters, with general manager Ben Cherington saying Oneil Cruz and Spencer Horwitz are both moving in the right direction and could be back sometime after the All-Star break.
Neither is expected to jump straight back into the lineup when Pittsburgh opens the second half July 17 in Cleveland, but both are still in play for a return before the month is over.
Cruz has been out since June 11 because of fractures in his left hand, but he’s already taken a meaningful step forward. He’s out of the cast and was at the club’s Florida facility last week to restart baseball work.
From there, the plan is to keep building him up, and if everything goes smoothly, he could be cleared to start a minor-league rehab assignment once games resume after the break. That would put him on a path to rejoin the Pirates before the end of July, barring any setbacks.
Horwitz is following a similar track. He went on the 10-day injured list June 25 with a left hamstring strain and has also reported to Florida to begin rehab.
The Pirates are encouraged by his progress, though he’s not expected to be activated right away after the break. A rehab assignment around that time is a realistic next step.
Pittsburgh’s offense has managed without both bats, but getting Cruz and Horwitz back later this month would give the club a real lift as it pushes for a National League Wild Card spot.
Wilber Dotel is also nearing a key checkpoint in his recovery. The right-hander, working back from a lat strain, is scheduled for another minor-league rehab outing Tuesday and appears to be approaching the finish line of that process.
Cherington said Sunday that Dotel will pitch again with a minor-league affiliate, which could be the last step before he returns from the 15-day injured list. He started his rehab assignment June 27 with Double-A Altoona and threw a scoreless inning in his first game action.
Since then, Dotel hasn’t appeared in another minor-league game, but he did throw a 20-pitch live batting practice session Friday as part of his ramp-up. Tuesday’s outing will give the Pirates another look at where he stands, and if all goes well, he could be back in the bullpen soon after.
The status of Endy Rodríguez was less clear after he left Sunday’s 11-5 win over the Nationals with left side discomfort.
Manager Don Kelly said Rodríguez was still being evaluated after appearing to hurt himself on a swing in the eighth inning. Rodríguez stayed in the game long enough to deliver a one-out single before being replaced by pinch-runner Henry Davis.
That hit mattered, too, helping start Pittsburgh’s five-run eighth. Jared Triolo singled, Jake Mangum walked, Konnor Griffin drove in two runs with a single and Brandon Lowe later capped the rally with a three-run homer.
Rodríguez had already missed time in June with discomfort in his left hip, so the Pirates will be watching closely to see whether this is a new issue or a flare-up of something that was already bothering him. The team could have a better read before Tuesday’s series opener against the Atlanta Braves, though Henry Davis is likely to start anyway with Paul Skenes on the mound.
If Rodríguez has to miss more time, Davis would likely handle a bigger share of the catching duties, while Rafael Flores Jr. would be recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis to serve as the backup.
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