The Pittsburgh Pirates have placed outfielder Gregory Polanco on the 10-day disabled list and have recalled outfielder Danny Ortiz. The move for Polanco was retroactive May 15th, which means he is eligible to come off the disabled list next Thursday, May 25th. Polanco went down with a left hamstring issue on Sunday, and has missed the last two games.
Ortiz doesn’t provide a bat, but does provide outfield defense, which is something the Pirates will be short on for the next week. Their starting outfield tonight includes Adam Frazier in left field and John Jaso in right field. Jose Osuna will also factor into that mix when Polanco is out. Ortiz is a good defender, capable of playing all three spots, which means he could serve as a defensive replacement, likely for Jaso and Osuna over Frazier.
The injury comes at an unfortunate time for Polanco, as he was starting to show some positive signs, putting up better numbers the last few weeks, with his power starting to show up more often. This also unfortunately fits a growing trend with the Pirates this year, where most of their expected top performers are out of action due to injuries or off-field problems.
