After beginning a rehab assignment on June 30th for an injured shoulder, Corey Hart has seen action in six games for Indianapolis. On Friday, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle told the media the Hart would rejoin the team in Pittsburgh for further evaluation on Sunday.
Hart has seen some success with his power in his rehab. While he is 4-for-22 in the contests through Friday night, Hart has seen two of those hits clear the fences.
As for the process itself, Hart said that he is seeing progress, but the ailment is a lingering one.
“I am fine,” Hart said. “It was not a severe injury or anything, but more of a nagging thing. I am just trying to take it easy and get back in the swing of things.”
While Hart said that the home runs have been good to see, he has the itch to get back to taking cuts at the big league level.
“It is more fun to see them go over the fence in the big leagues,” Hart said. “But it is fun to be back [in Indianapolis] because this was my first Triple-A spot. But is just nice to get back on the field and be involved again.”
During the stint with Indianapolis, Hart has seen most of his time at first base. As a place where he did not see a lot of action in Pittsburgh, Hart said that he is just working on getting comfortable with the position.
“I get a little anxious over there, because I have not been over there a lot, but the more that I am over there, the better I have felt,” Hart said.
While Hart’s role with the team is murky, it was further muddied by the acquisition of Travis Ishikawa, who would take over a similar pinch hit role as Hart had been in prior to the injury. Hart also struggled at times and really looked overmatched, as he hit .222 in 54 at-bats with three extra base hits with the Pirates.
After Sunday, and the evaluation, the Pirates may have a decision to make on Hart and whether or not he still has a role on the squad.
