After Wednesday’s game, infielder Jordy Mercer was in the Pirates clubhouse. Mercer said he arrived to Pittsburgh this morning due to Alex Presley suffering from concussion-like symptoms.
Presley was replaced by Gorkys Hernandez in the bottom of the fifth inning on Tuesday. Presley suffered the injury after a diving play in the top of the first inning. With two outs, Jed Lowrie hit a single into shallow right field. Presley dove attempting to make the catch, the ball deflecting off his glove.
After undergoing tests on Wednesday, the Pirates held Presley out of the lineup against the Astros. Prior to the game, Hurdle talked about the testing process that they make players under go when experiencing concussion-like symptoms.
“With our experience last year with a couple of guys going through it, we do have a battery of tests that we follow explicitly,” Hurdle said. “This is one area in which, No. 1 the player really has to interact honestly with the question process. This is not a test you want to cheat on. It’s amazing what kind of feedback you can get from the battery of tests.”
“He just wasn’t feeling right and he approached the trainer. It was a more of whiplash type scenario. When he hit, his lower torso came up. There was no chin hitting the ground.”
If the club needs to place Presley on the 7-day disabled list, Mercer will be activated. The club could also decide to send down Eric Fryer to Triple-A now that Rod Barajas is feeling better (bone bruise). Fryer was recalled to be an emergency catcher if needed.
“We wanted to give Presley another day for recovery,” Hurdle said. “We’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”
