Cervelli to return to lineup; Hurdle 'not a fan' of carrying three catchers

CINCINNATI — Francisco Cervelli is back in the lineup for the Pirates' series finale against the Reds today, batting sixth and catching, but Clint Hurdle may have to proceed with caution.

Head athletic trainer Todd Tomczyk told reporters prior to Wednesday's 7-2 loss at Great American Ball Park that the right foot discomfort Cervelli has experienced since spring training may linger throughout the season. Despite Chris Stewart's checkered injury past, don't expect the Pirates to carry three catchers.



The Pirates called up Elias Diaz from AAA Indianapolis Monday afternoon and the 26-year-old has started at catcher the past two games, doubling Wednesday night and Hurdle credited him with shepherding Tyler Glasnow through his first major league win.

It sounds like his stay in the major leagues won't last long though.

"I'd hate to have a conversation in here that's going to dictate the man's next 24 to 48 hours," Hurdle said Thursday morning when asked of possibly carrying three catchers. "I don't think that'll happen. I am not a fan of carrying three catchers. I think once we find out if Cervelli's situation can be stabilized, we'll make an according roster change."

That means the Pirates will likely see how Cervelli responds to catching. He was held out of the lineup for Sunday's loss to the Marlins in Miami after waking up with pain in his right foot. The Pirates made an emergency roster move by calling up John Bormann from Class A Bradenton and Chris Stewart started the game.

"Therapy and it gets better," Cervelli said Monday of the injury. "It gets so tight and it's painful. It’s much better."

Stewart started again Monday night in Cincinnati, but Hurdle told reporters prior to first pitch he was going to monitor the veteran catcher's workload after being hit with a pair of foul tips in Miami and with his history of injuries.

Stewart missed almost all of July and August last season because of a knee injury. The 35-year-old catcher was held out again Wednesday night, but still had ice on his right foot. Cervelli, though, seemed to have no doubt he would be back in the lineup shortly, telling reporters Monday that he'd be ready to return either Tuesday or Wednesday.

“No, not going to happen,” Cervelli said with a laugh when asked if a trip to the 10-day disabled list may help. “Not going to happen.”

Diaz filled in admirably. He was a calming influence for Glasnow after a three-run, 36-pitch first inning during Tuesday's 12-3 win over the Reds, and showed his strength at the plate with a hit in back-to-back nights.

But he seemed to struggle calling Wednesday night's game against the Reds, when Jameson Taillon allowed a pair of three-run homers. Hurdle liked what he saw from Diaz, but does not seem to think he's ready for a prominent role in the majors quite yet.

"For one pitcher you can have a good hole and for the next pitcher your hole might not be as good," Hurdle said. "It’s a continual learning opportunity. Sometimes he hasn’t touched these guys in a little bit of time, so there’s been some absence of feel. It usually comes back quick, so we like him a lot. We like him a lot. We like the résumé he’s building. We believe he'll be a guy that will be able to catch up here and will be able to do it for some length of time."

Cervelli is one of the top pitch framers in baseball and works well with the Pirates' staff, but has struggled at the plate so far this season. He owns a .203/.289/.392 slash line in 83 plate appearances.

Sending Diaz back to Indianapolis could happen as soon as Friday. Adam Frazier is close to being activated from the 10-day disabled list after suffering a hamstring injury and the Indians have a three-game weekend series in Columbus. Tomczyk said Wednesday that Frazier still had yet to run the bases, but is ahead of David Freese in the rehab process.

Freese played catch with Tomczyk and jogged in the outfield Thursday morning. Frazier, meanwhile, was not seen in the clubhouse but still had a locker stall.

Hurdle did not want to get too far ahead of himself, though. He will keep a watchful eye on Cervelli before a decision is made.

"Exciting to have him back in," Hurdle said.