PITTSBURGH — Nearing game-time on Wednesday, the Pirates are still unsure about the status of center fielder Starling Marte and catcher Francisco Cervelli.
Both players left Tuesday’s game with injuries. Cervelli was hit by a pitch on the right forearm and Marte injured his right side while taking his first at-bat of the game.
Cervelli’s injury is just soft-tissue bruising and he said Tuesday night that he should be fine, but his availability for Wednesday is unknown. Elias Diaz is starting at catcher.
The same goes for Marte, who was still receiving evaluation and treatment late Wednesday morning.
“We’re assessing him and treating him to see what availability he has for this afternoon’s game,” Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said.
Tomczyk wouldn’t rule out that Marte’s injury could be to his oblique, a notoriously slow-to-heal injury for baseball players.
“That’s something that we’re still assessing,” Tomczyk said. “In that abdominal region, it’s always a concern.
A NEW PATH
• RHP A.J. Schugel (right shoulder discomfort) had a consultation with renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews. Schugel underwent a platelet-rich plasma injection and will be shut down for about two weeks before returning to throwing in Bradenton.
PRP injections are anti-inflammatory in nature and are designed to help strengthen a weakened area of the body without resorting to surgery. Their success rate has not been well documented in large-scale studies done on the issue.
“We’re working with 10 percent of the population of professional athletes that throw,” Tomczyk said. “There’s a limited amount of research.”
• LHP Enny Romero (left shoulder impingement) is continuing to re-build strength in his joint and the Pirates are hopeful he’ll be able to resume throwing in the next couple of days.
OUT ON REHAB
• RHP Joe Musgrove will throw his final rehab start on Friday with Triple-A Indianapolis in Durham. He is scheduled to throw six innings and/or 100 pitches.
• 2B Josh Harrison will continue his rehab assignment with Double-A Altoona with his first nine-inning appearance scheduled for Wednesday. Harrison does not have any further physical limitations and the speed at which he returns to the majors will be largely performance-based.
