Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez both left tonight’s Pittsburgh Pirates game early. McCutchen left with what was described as “left rib discomfort.” McCutchen winced in the first inning after a swing, then ran into the wall on a leaping catch later in the game. He was removed at the start of the sixth inning. McCutchen is just returning from the disabled list, where he was out with a rib injury. The rib has still been bothering him, as was obvious tonight. He will be reevaluated tomorrow.
Alvarez was removed after McCutchen with left foot discomfort. He will also be evaluated tomorrow. With a day game tomorrow, and a day off on Thursday, it’s very likely that we won’t be seeing either of these guys in the lineup until at least Friday.
UPDATE 10:32 PM: Good news and bad news on the injury front. The good news is from Andrew McCutchen, via Tom Singer.
McCutchen seemed fine. “Just sore. Being smart.” Came out so be able to play in tomorrow’s early game. #Pirates #MLB
— Tom Singer (@Tom_Singer) August 27, 2014
The bad news is that Alvarez left the game in a walking boot, according to Dan Zangrilli.
Pedro Alvarez just left in a walking boot.
— Dan Zangrilli (@DanZangrilli) August 27, 2014
So it appears McCutchen is aiming to play tomorrow, although Alvarez could get at least a day off, if not more. Although after the big home run from Ike Davis tonight, it shouldn’t be a big issue that Alvarez is likely to miss a game.
Tim started Pirates Prospects in 2009 from his home in Virginia, which was 40 minutes from where Pedro Alvarez made his pro debut in Lynchburg. That year, the Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, and Pirates Prospects was born from Tim's reporting along the way. The site has grown over the years to include many more writers, and Tim has gone on to become a credentialed MLB reporter, producing Pirates Prospects each year, and will publish his 11th Prospect Guide this offseason. He has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates correspondent for Baseball America since 2019. Behind the scenes, Tim is an avid music lover, and most of the money he gets paid to run this site goes to vinyl records.
