The Pittsburgh Pirates had a couple of injury updates on Sunday morning after catcher Francisco Cervelli missed today’s workout. He was removed from the workout due to right foot discomfort. The Pirates announced that he was evaluated by the team medical department and that his status is day-to-day.
Jason Stoffel was one of the first minor league free agents signed this off-season by the Pirates. The 28-year-old right-handed pitcher split last year between Triple-A and Double-A with the Baltimore Orioles and has yet to make his Major League debut, which made him a long-shot to win an Opening Day job. He missed his bullpen a couple days ago and was evaluated by the medical staff. Stoffel is listed as day-to-day with right shoulder discomfort.
While you don’t like to see any injuries, the timing of a minor injury for Cervelli won’t matter much if it ends up being a day-to-day issue. Opening Day is still six weeks away. It could however affect his World Baseball Classic roster spot if it lingers at all. Team Italy opens up their WBC play on March 9th in Mexico. For Stoffel, who already had very little chance to make the Opening Day roster, a setback of any kind isn’t good for his slim chances.
UPDATE 5:16 PM: Clint Hurdle didn’t comment on Cervelli’s injury, instead deferring to the Wednesday update with Head Athletic Trainer Todd Tomczyk. That said, Cervelli was out on the field today.
